


Waiting in the Wings

by orphan_account, ParkerCat



Series: Behind the Curtain [1]
Category: Thunderbirds
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-09
Updated: 2020-10-06
Packaged: 2021-03-04 19:40:52
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 39,783
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25161781
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account, https://archiveofourown.org/users/ParkerCat/pseuds/ParkerCat
Summary: Sometimes what you need is right there in front of you.
Relationships: John Tracy/Selene Tempest, Penelope Creighton-Ward/Gordon Tracy, Scott Tracy/Catriona George, Scott Tracy/Original Character(s)
Series: Behind the Curtain [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1975360
Comments: 44
Kudos: 22





	1. Chapter 1

Scott surveyed the grand ballroom, still unsure as to why he was there in the first place. He had his suspicions of Gordon’s budding romance with Penelope, so the invite to one of her private parties was perhaps not unexpected for his brother but quite how and why he had been talked into going too was beyond him. While he was no stranger to socialising with Penny, it was more usual for it to be at events where their presence was required to keep up appearances rather than at a private party for some of her closest friends. Since they arrived, Gordon had perhaps inevitably attached himself to Penny’s side but Scott didn’t want to cramp his little brother’s style and, if he was honest, he wouldn’t have chosen to spend his evening off in this way if he was given the choice. Having already greeted his host and in the absence of anything else to do or anyone in attendance whom he needed to speak with, he made himself comfortable at the bar and lost himself in a glass or several of whisky. He had always enjoyed people watching so he contented himself with passing the time by trying to guess how Penelope knew everyone and perhaps more mystifyingly how she could possibly have the time to be close friends with the sheer number of people in attendance. 

Scanning the room for someone she knew, Catriona was very glad for the glass of liquid courage that had been pressed into her hand upon her arrival. Having known Penny for years, she thought she’d have been used to these sorts of events by now but her heartrate would suggest otherwise although she hadn’t exactly helped herself this time by getting waylaid at work and arriving late. Seeing how dressed up everyone else was, she congratulated herself on her decision to at least curl her long hair and wear her favourite purple satin gown that always gave her a confidence boost when she needed it. Amongst the other guests there was not a hair out of place and she idly wondered how long everyone else had taken to prepare for the night. At an outside guess she thought it was probably a lot longer than her. Unable to see any familiar faces in the throng, she took a deep breath to calm her nerves and started out into the crowd, nearly colliding with the hostess for the evening as she did so. 

“Catriona! It’s so good to see you, I’m so glad you could come.” Penny was the first to recover and as ever did not let anything so small as a near miss with one of her guests faze her. 

“Me too, it’s been forever since we’ve seen each other. Sorry I’m a bit late – I got stuck in rehearsals.”

“That’s no trouble at all, I’m just glad you’re here now. All ready for the performances?”

“Yup, we should be good I think. There’s always more to do but we’ve got the basics down now so that’s a good start” replied Catriona, noticing for the first time the nervous looking blonde man in an incredibly expensive looking suit with a sunny yellow bow tie standing beside Penny. She felt like she’d seen him somewhere before but couldn’t quite place him.

“Excellent, I shall look forward to seeing it then.” Noticing her friends gaze drifting and sounding uncharacteristically nervous she continued. “Um, there’s someone I’d like you to meet. It’s all still very much under wraps but this is the gentleman I was telling you about. Catriona, I’d like you to meet Gordon Tracy.”

Catriona was relieved to find that there was a good reason why she recognised the young man standing in front of her, having seen him on the news less than 24 hours before rescuing the crew of a submarine after they got trapped in amongst some undersea vents. “It’s lovely to meet you finally and put a face to the name. Penny’s told me all about you - you’re with International Rescue, right?”

“Oh, has she now?” Gordon’s previously anxious face was transformed into an impish grin which lit up his hazel eyes as he glanced at a reddening Penny before focusing back on Catriona. “Yeah, I’m the one with the yellow submarine. It’s lovely to meet you too. So, if Penny’s told you about me then I’m guessing you’re Penny’s best friend then?”

“Yup, guilty as charged. We were at the Royal Ballet School together back when she wanted to be a dancer and she didn’t manage to get rid of me after she left. So here we are.”

Gordon’s eyes widened as he turned to Penny for the second time in as many minutes. “I didn’t know you wanted to be a ballerina!”

“Oh, there’s a lot you don’t know about me dearest.” said Penny with a fond smile. “But there will be be plenty of time for you to find it all out, don’t you worry.”

Gordon raised an eyebrow at that, before smiling at Catriona again. “So, are you a dancer then?”

“Yeah, I dance for the Royal Ballet now but I was out in America for a bit when I was younger too.” She thought for a second before throwing caution to the wind, smiling as she prepared to surprise her friend. “Given your identity as Penny’s mystery crush, do you want to know a funny coincidence from when I was out there?”

“Always!” Gordons ears pricked up, hoping for some gossip.

“I used to date your brother…” 

“Which one –”  
“You didn’t tell me that –” 

“It was Scott, but don’t get too excited – it was literally years ago.”

“Really? This world is far too small. How did that happen then? I didn’t think Scott had girlfriends.” Gordon seemed to have recovered from the revelation much faster than Penny, who was still looking aghast as not knowing something.

“Yeah, we dated for about a year when he was stationed at Langley and I was dancing with the Richmond Ballet. Must have been about 10 years ago now. Do you remember Penny – I was out there for a while after I graduated before I joined the Royal? I’d already been out there for about 2 years when I met Scott and we were together til he was deployed overseas and I moved to London. It’s not much more exciting than that I’m afraid.”

“Of course!” she tried to recover herself. “I remember now that you had a boyfriend out there but I had no idea he was a mutual friend.”

“To be fair, I don’t think I ever told you his second name at the time so there’s not really any way you could have known and I didn’t know you knew any of the Tracy’s anyway or it might have come up sooner.”

“I still can’t believe you didn’t tell me it was Scott Tracy you were involved with!” Penny was aware that she was starting to sound petulant but she didn’t like being caught out, especially not in front of the man she’d spent years trying to impress and who was currently watching the unfolding back and forth between friends in a manner similar to a spectator at Wimbledon.

“Well look at it this way, why didn’t you tell me it was Gordon Tracy I was meeting tonight then?”

“Because there are expectations that come with that name…” Penny couldn’t hide the exasperation in her voice and was uncomfortably aware of the look that passed between Gordon and Catriona and the resulting grins on both their faces as she backed herself neatly into a corner. 

“Uh huh. So…”

“Fine” she conceded with a smile, realising that Catriona had simply done exactly the same as she was doing in protecting the Tracy family. “You have me there.”

“That was amazing! I’ve never seen anyone manage to get Penny to admit she was wrong before. You gotta teach me how to do it?” It was safe to say that Gordon was impressed.

“I’d be happy to. Although I warn you, it’s a difficult course and takes a lot of practice – I can count on one hand the number of times I’ve managed it in 17 years.” Catriona glanced at Penny who simply smiled and rolled her eyes. 

“It’ll be worth the effort! Well, seeing as you already know my brother then you should go and say hello – he’s standing over there at the bar.” 

“What? Where?” Catriona was not prepared for this. She’d not seen Scott in years and had definitely not been expecting to be ambushed by him at a party that she was only attending in order to meet her friend’s new amour.

“There, wearing the black suit and looking like he’d rather be scrubbing gunk out of my ‘bird’s intakes than spending another moment here… No offence to your party Penny.”

Catriona looked over and immediately felt a familiar tug of attraction in her stomach when she spotted the tall, dark haired man standing across the room, oblivious to her presence. He was surrounded by beautiful young women, all of whom seemed to be intent on bagging themselves a Tracy for the night and all three observers could see that his body language screamed discomfort.

“He looks like he could do with being rescued” observed Penny. “I thought my guests would leave him alone but clearly I was wrong.”

“Don’t worry about it – this happens literally everywhere we go. To be fair he’s usually OK with it but I’m not so sure today.”

“Leave it to me” Catriona announced to everyone’s surprise, including her own. Before anyone had a chance to stop her, she turned on her heel and disappeared into the crowd.

******************************************************  
Under normal circumstances, Scott may have been tempted by one of the ladies surrounding him but not tonight. He didn’t know why, but he was just not interested despite several being what could ordinarily be classed as his type. Looking for a way out, he spotted Gordon across the room. Catching his eye, he mouthed “help” but his brother only grinned and turned back to his conversation. Scott sighed and filed that away for future retribution. He’d not missed his brother and Penelope looking over at him in surprise a few minutes before as if he was the subject of some discussion but he hadn’t been able to see who the other member of the conversation was and frankly, he wasn’t sure he wanted to know. He was starting to get a headache from the incessant giggling that seemed to be going on around him and he gratefully grabbed another glass of champagne from the bar behind him. 

“Thank god I’ve found you! I’ve been looking everywhere! Excuse me, but I need to steal Mr Tracy I’m afraid” Suddenly, a blur of copper and purple appeared out of nowhere, taking a bewildered Scott’s hand and dragging him, bemused but willing, behind a pillar hidden away from everybody on the other side of the room. On their way, Scott had a chance to appreciate the figure-hugging qualities of the dress and the long distinctive hair that he was sure he’d seen once before attached to… 

“Cat?? What’s going on?” asked a very bewildered but amused Scott as they came to a halt and his saviour turned around. “And what are you even doing here?”

“You looked like you needed rescued” she explained simply, flushing an endearing red as the first doubts about her actions crept into her mind. 

“So, you rescued me?” 

“Yup.” Her eyes met his for the first time, their icy blue depths drawing him in and he found he couldn’t look away.

“Usually that’s my line of business…” he commented with a wry smile.

“So I’ve heard, but even the rescuers need saving sometimes…” She had the faintest of smiles on her face as she held his eyes and Scott felt something deep inside him shudder to life in a flash of recognition.

“You have no idea how right you are!” laughed Scott, smiling broadly and pushing the moment aside. “Well, you’ve rescued me. I feel very safe and have been unharmed by my ordeal. So, what were your plans for me now?”

“I have no idea” admitted Catriona with a grin. “Forward planning still isn’t one of my strong points I’m afraid.”

“Well in that case, may I get a drink for my saviour? And then you actually do have to tell me why you’re here.” 

“Of course. A drink sounds lovely and honestly, it’s no big secret – I went to ballet school with Penny. Nothing more sinister than that I’m afraid.” she replied, taking the arm that Scott hadn’t even realised he had offered and falling into an easy stride with him.

“Penny used to dance?” Scott stopped in his tracks in surprise, causing Cat to stumble and glare at him. 

“Yes! Why is everyone so surprised about that tonight?” Scott heard the frustration in her voice and wisely decided to keep his mouth shut and start walking again as if nothing had ever happened. “Anyway, Gordon said I should speak to you and I thought it might be a good opportunity to help you escape. You looked like you wanted to lobotomise yourself with a spoon there.”

“Oh, how I’ve missed your turn of phrase. But yes, that’s almost exactly what I was considering when you appeared. Do you want to get out of here so we can catch up properly? If I remember rightly there’s a library just down the hall.” 

“Sounds perfect. Let’s grab another drink then see what we can find.”

“You read my mind” replied Scott, flashing a brilliant smile which made Cat’s heart flutter dangerously. 

In the library, they settled down at a table tucked away in a corner and Scott steeled himself for the thing that he knew he had to do.

“Listen, before we get any further, I owe you a pretty big apology…” he tailed off, not sure how to explain how bad he felt for the way he’d ended their relationship.

“Agreed! I can’t believe that after a year of dating you waited a month after you got deployed and then told me I was just a distraction that you couldn’t afford to have right then!” Cat’s voice was harsh and he felt terrible.

“Oh God, it’s worse than I remember.” Scott mumbled as he dropped his head into his hands momentarily before looking back up and catching her eyes with a look that he hoped conveyed both remorse and sincerity. “I can’t believe I actually said that. I’m so sorry. You have every right to be mad at me forever for that alone.” 

“I sure do. But luckily for you I’m not. Not any more anyway.” 

“Really?” Scott visibly brightened and Cat had to suppress a chuckle.

“Really” she reassured. “Look, I don’t hold grudges unless it’s something really bad. Yeah, you acted like a total arse but we were young, you were in an actual real-life warzone and it was about a decade ago. Holding onto something like that is just too much effort and I can’t be bothered if I’m honest.”

“So, you’re not going to kick my ass?” 

“No Scott, I’m not going to give you the ass kicking you may or may not deserve. Now that’s out the way, what do you say we move on and catch up properly. I hear you’ve turned into somewhat of a real-life hero over the past few years…?”

******************************  
As the evening was winding down, Cat found herself temporarily alone with Penny seeing off her last few guests and the two Tracy boys helping Parker to make sure nobody was left lingering in the gardens. Reflecting on the night, she had to admit that Penny’s choice of Gordon was very well suited. She liked him very much and the feeling seemed to be mutual in the little time they had spent together. The revelation of the night had been Scott however. He had been as charming as she remembered when they had dated and she was uncomfortably aware of how attractive she still found him. The fact that he lived on the other side of the world and had a tremendously dangerous and unpredictable job was definitely more inconvenient than she’d like to admit although the demands of her job didn’t help matters. She batted those thoughts away – there was no point in even considering it. 

“So… What happened?” For the second time that night, Penny had managed to take her by surprise, this time jolting her out of a rather ill-advised daydream. 

“Well, he apologised for being an idiot and breaking up with me. That was a good start. Then we just spent the rest of the night catching up and he did ask for my number so we can keep in touch from now on. He says he’d like to come and see me dance at some point but if that happens I’ll be very surprised if I’m honest. He came before when we were in Virginia but I think he hated it.”

“I’m glad to hear he apologised at least and that you both had a good night. If he’s serious about wanting to see you dance, I’ve still not allocated my tickets for your show in a few weeks. I wonder if both the boys would like to come…?”

“Would like to come where?” cut in Gordon appearing as if from nowhere with his big brother following close behind.

“To the ballet. Catriona is dancing Giselle 2 weeks tonight and I happen to have spare tickets. Then maybe we could do something together afterwards?”

“Sounds good to me” grinned Gordon. “I’ve never been to the ballet before. What part are you dancing?”

“Giselle… Um, the title role.” Cat elaborated when Gordon looked blankly at her.

“Awesome. It’ll be even more fun if we know the main dancer! You in Scott?”

“Absolutely. Wouldn’t miss it. Send me the details Penny and we’ll make sure we’re there.” 

“Are you sure guys? That’s so sweet of you both. It’s one of my favourites so I’m sure you’ll enjoy it.” Catriona was delighted that they had agreed to go so readily but was suddenly hit by a wave of nerves about her performance. Stifling a yawn, she decided it was on the list of things that she could worry about in the morning before admitting to her host that she would need to go and saying her goodbyes to the Tracy boys.

“Wait!” Cat turned around in surprise as Scott jogged up beside her as she waited in the cool night air for her taxi. “I didn’t want you to have to wait alone, or let you leave without telling you how much I’ve enjoyed seeing you again.”

“You already did that didn’t you? When you got my number and promised to message me in the morning?” she laughed.

“OK you caught me. I just wanted to say goodbye without an audience.” Scott admitted, holding out his arms and looking so hopeful that Cat couldn’t help but comply.

“Goodbye Scott” Cat folded herself into his embrace, closing her eyes and enjoying the sensation of his warm body pressing against hers through the thin material of her dress, familiar strong arms around her waist holding her tightly. Pulling back slightly, ice blue and sapphire locked together as their eyes met. Cat didn’t move for a long while – held there by the sheer intensity of his gaze. 

“We can’t” she said at length, breaking the moment. “We’ve both had a lot to drink and we’ve only just met each other again.”

Scott lowered his eyes. “I know” he sighed. No matter how much his brain knew that it was the right thing to do, it didn’t stop his heart from sagging in disappointment anyway. 

The clung to each other a moment longer, their foreheads resting against each other in a pose that had been so familiar when they were together before she pulled back a little, a grin spreading over her face which experience told him meant trouble.

“And anyway, you’d just be a distraction if we did and I can’t afford to have that right now” she managed to deadpan before collapsing into giggles as Scott raised an eyebrow and tried to desperately to maintain some kind of dignity before her infectious laughter overtook him and they collapsed into each other, holding each other up as they gasped for breath. 

Watching her walk away once they had regained some composure, Scott started to realise just how big a mistake he’d made all those years ago.


	2. Chapter 2

Two weeks after Penny’s party, Cat sat in the chair in her dressing room, getting her hair and makeup done for the show. Usually, it was time she used for quiet reflection on the work that had led up to that moment as well as time to focus on the upcoming performance but the events of the past 14 days seemed determined to seep into her head and take up residence. As promised, she had heard from Scott the day after the party and she smiled to herself as she remembered the sudden jolt of excitement that had gone through her when she’d seen his name flash up on her phone. Their messages had started out as a means of simply catching up on what they’d missed from each other’s lives but they had slowly shifted focus and increased in quantity to become an ever-present discussion about their daily lives. 

The first time she was aware that he had been called out on a rescue had thrown her and a frown crossed her face as she remembered the doubts that had crept in about their continued friendship at that point. Her concentration in rehearsals had taken a nosedive while she knew that he was risking his life somewhere. That distraction was a threat to her laser focus on everything she did with her dancing and made her seriously weigh up whether it was prudent to continue their budding friendship or not. The irony of that, given his reasoning for breaking up with her in the first place, was not lost on her. However, something in the back of her head kept niggling away, telling her not to make any decisions too rashly, so despite the unpleasant experience of fretting until a message lit up her phone several hours after he had got home, she had carried on. A ground rule had been established though - if they were to be friends, he had to let her know as soon as he was back from a rescue. 

Continuing to automatically move through her usual routine, her mind wandered back to the party and she could suddenly feel the sensation of Scott’s arms around her waist and see the smoulder in his eyes as he had held her right before she had left. It wasn’t the first time that memory had popped up unbidden at the most inopportune moment and she took a deep breath to try and ground herself before she got lost in a daydream. She didn’t need or want a relationship right now, and certainly not one with someone on the other side of the planet. She shook her head to clear it, trying to ignore the dawning realisation that he had become both the first and last person she thought about each day. Without those piercing sapphire eyes and rakish grin in front of her to draw her in, she was almost able to convince herself that they were going to be able to maintain just a friendship. Almost. 

Hair and make-up complete, Cat gathered up her shoes for the night and headed up to one of the big studios to begin warming up for the performance. Walking through the hubbub of a big company starting the preparations for a show brought her back to the occasion of the night. Being asked to dance on the night that one of the patrons of the company was to be in the audience for was something that might have made others nervous but the fact that the patron in question was also her best friend meant that it didn’t faze her in the slightest. However, she did have to admit to herself that having not one but two members of arguably the most powerful family in the world there that night too was definitely something that would be hard to ignore. She shook her head in annoyance. This daydreaming was not the sort of behaviour that had gotten her to where she was today as a principal dancer with one of the best ballet companies in the world. She had always prided herself on being able to compartmentalise everything else that was happening in her life while she was dancing and she wasn’t going to let a certain Tracy derail that. Squaring her shoulders, she determined not to think of him again until after and stepped into the studio where Mark, her partner for the night, was also warming up and shot him a smile. Putting everything else to the back of her mind, she concentrated on making sure her body was completely ready for what was to come before heading back to her dressing room to change into her costume and complete the transformation into the young peasant girl Giselle. 

****

“Honestly, you’re just as bad as each other! Contrary to popular belief I do know how to behave in public you know” the young man replied huffily to his big brother as their car pulled up outside the Royal Opera House.

Seemingly oblivious to the stares of passers-by and audience members alike, Gordon Tracy jumped out and ran around to open the door for Lady Penelope Creighton Ward, who was followed closely by the heir to the Tracy empire. The white columned building seemed to tower above them and Scott took a moment to take in the scene before hurrying after his brother and Penny, making their way together through the opulent front of house areas towards the private box that was to be theirs for the night. The year he’d spent with Cat had been filled with her telling him repeatedly how beautiful and special this theatre was but none of that had prepared him for the reality of walking into the auditorium for the first time. He’d been to plenty of theatres over the years and, while the older ones tended to have their charms, he had to admit that he generally saw them as just a place in which he had to sit and watch something he wasn’t particularly interested in for a few hours. There was something about this one that definitely felt different although he struggled to put his finger on the reason for that. The sheer opulence of the twin red velvet curtains embroidered with royal crests in their centre corners, the ornate gold of the proscenium arch and the four tiers curving around in an elegant horseshoe combined to take his breath away and for once he found himself speechless. It was a far cry from the ultra-modern and somewhat soulless theatre he’d watched Cat perform in before and he could finally understand why she had always dreamed of performing there. 

Penny smiled to herself as she watched the two men’s reactions to the place. Like Cat, she had once harboured dreams of dancing on the Opera House stage and the place still held a special place in her heart. Being a patron of the Royal Ballet was her way of staying connected to that world and she always delighted in introducing newcomers to it whenever she could.

“What do you think then? Will this do for a night out at the ballet?”

“It’s beautiful” replied Gordon immediately, still taking in the sight of countless red seats in front of them. “I’ve never been anywhere that looks quite like this before.”

“How about you Scott?”

Scott could only manage to nod in agreement, still trying to imprint the scene in front of him in his mind and only vaguely aware of a ruby red programme being pressed into his hand by an usher as he took his seat. Coming back to himself, he realised that the conversation in the box had moved on without him so he let his mind wander and was not surprised to find that it returned to the events of the previous weeks that had brought him to this point. Despite his carefully cultivated image as a carefree bachelor, he’d found that he enjoyed having someone to share his daily life with more than he cared to admit. It wasn’t news to him that he didn’t actually have any close friends left, having prioritised his duty to his family over all of them a long time ago so being able to talk regularly with someone had definitely helped to assuage some of the loneliness he occasionally felt. He hadn’t felt able to share any of the unedited realities of his work with Cat yet but it had definitely felt good to be able to just talk normally to someone outside of his family. Just having a slice of what he remembered ordinary life had been like in amongst the endless rescues and paperwork reminded him of what he’d missed out on over the years.

He had to admit that he’d been surprised at Cat’s reaction the first time he told her that he wouldn’t be in touch for a while because he was going out on a rescue. Having not really had to deal with an outsider’s perspective on International Rescue before, he hadn’t even considered that there might be anything for her to be worried about as nobody on Tracy Island batted an eyelid when a call came in. It was only afterwards that he realised how unnerving it must be to know that someone you care for is going into a dangerous situation that you know nothing about. Reflecting on it later though, he had no idea why he’d ever thought that she might not be affected by it as she cared deeply about everything and everyone. It was one of the things he had loved about her before so he was happy to agree to her condition of letting her know as soon as he was back safely. Really, he thought as the lights began to dim, it was the least he could do. 

****

“Wasn’t that wonderful? How did you gentlemen find that?” Penny asked, turning to her guests as the lights came up again at the start of the interval. 

“Why were there so many villagers? I didn’t see the point in them and I didn’t really understand all the mime either. But I think I’m enjoying it” answered Gordon with a small frown. 

“Well that’s good to hear. And how about you Scott?”

“It’s how I remember ballets being when I saw them before to be honest. There’s been a lot of faffing around so far but not really much dancing…” Scott tailed off, surprised to find that his voice felt rather thicker than he expected.

“Well personally I think it’s being beautifully danced, especially by Cat and Mark. They’re both wonderful and have such a lovely partnership. You could really feel and see their relationship developing as the act went on and the betrayal at the end was just wonderful.”

“I’ll grant you that actually. That definitely packed a bit of a punch that I wasn’t expecting” Scott conceded. His throat was still oddly tight and he found he was strangely unwilling to admit that the first act had affected him, especially the end with Giselle’s discovery of her lover’s deception leading to her sudden madness and death. 

Further discussion was interrupted by the arrival of an usher with 3 glasses of champagne that Scott gratefully received and handed out to his companions.

“Wait, is that it? Are we not getting ice creams?” asked Gordon, eyeing up the tray suspiciously, as if it were hiding something.

“Why would you think we were?” asked Penny with a raised eyebrow and a small smile.

“We did when Scott took Alan and I to the pantomime.”

“When on earth was that?” Penny had certainly never imagined that any of the Tracy boys would have even heard of a pantomime, let alone been to one.

“Don’t you remember Scott?” asked Gordon looking at his big brother for confirmation that he wasn’t making the whole thing up. “It was when you were at Oxford and we came over that Christmas because dad was too busy. You took us to the panto and Alan spent the whole time pretending he wasn’t enjoying it when he really was. We got ice cream at the interval and I thought that was just what you do at the theatre…”

“I think that’s more for kids but if you really want one, I think I saw a kiosk in the foyer. You could always go and ask.” Scott smiled, his heart swelling with the realisation that his little brother had remembered that trip to the pantomime many years before. Gordon bounded out of the box grinning like the Cheshire cat, leaving the other occupants of the box in his wake. 

“You really can’t take him anywhere” Scott commented to no one in particular.

“On the contrary. I think it’s rather sweet.” Penny picked up her programme, effectively ending further conversation and Scott followed suit, conscious that the conversation was perhaps straying into an area that was not yet comfortable for his friend. Their peace was soon shattered however, as Gordon burst back in, flushed with the success of procuring not one but three cornettos. 

“I got you both one too. It’s our new tradition” he exclaimed, handing them around. The three of them spent what was left of the interval in companionable silence eating their ice creams and sipping champagne, each lost in their own thoughts as the theatre filled back up and the lights dimmed for the start of the second act. 

****

As soon as the curtain calls were over, Cat and Mark breathed a sigh of relief and chatted on the stage enjoying the typical post show exhilaration of a job well done. Around them, the stage started to fill with a mix of invited guests, company management and stage technicians, all with different priorities and jobs to do. In amongst them all, Cat could feel herself getting restless and couldn’t help but keep looking into the wings for the arrival of her friends, wondering what was taking them so long to arrive. 

The arrival of their coach was a welcome distraction and Cat quickly ended up deeply embroiled in conversation with him and Mark looking at improvements they could make for their next performance. It was something that never took more than a few moments, with the bulk of the work being done in the studios in the days to follow but it was reassuring to Cat to feel in control of her work. Like most dancers, she was a perfectionist through and through and had never felt comfortable about not addressing corrections straight away when they were fresh in her mind. Catch up finished, Cat glanced up from her conversation just in time to spot the group she was looking for. 

“Penny! I was wondering when you’d get here” Cat exclaimed running over. “Gordon, Scott it’s so lovely to see you both again” she added, feeling slightly more flustered than she’d have liked by the intensity of Scott’s gaze when she caught his eyes and suddenly feeling very unsure of herself.

“You were wonderful tonight darlings. Congratulations.” Penny gave both Cat and Mark big hugs in appreciation, knowing just how much work went into preparing for the show.

“Thank you. We were pretty happy with it, all things considered. What did you both think?” Cat asked the two men present, suddenly feeling a lot more nervous than she had before.

“It was amazing!” Scott enthused. “I’ve never seen you dance like that before. The first act was good but the second half really went up a notch. The way you were lifted up like you weighed nothing was incredible. You could almost believe that you really were a ghost.”

Scott had been surprised at how much he had actually enjoyed it as ballet in general really wasn’t the sort of thing he’d watch, especially one that told a love story that involved an entire act full of vengeful spirits. It definitely wouldn’t have been his first choice of how to spend an evening but he found himself thinking that he was perhaps wrong to have written it off before. While it wasn’t something he would want to go to every day, he could definitely be persuaded to go to more, especially if a certain ballerina was dancing. 

With a start he realised that his introspection had taken him away from the conversation and he realised with horror that he hadn’t heard a word of Cat or Penny’s replies. He tuned back in just in time to hear the tail end of Gordon’s verdict. 

“… was much more what I was expecting.”

“No offence Gords,” he cut in before anyone else could speak “but how did you know what to expect? You’ve never seen a ballet before!”

“No,” Gordon admitted, straightening slightly and with a look of defiance about him which didn’t go unnoticed by anyone. “But I did look some up because I knew we were coming and I didn’t want to be going in blind. I couldn’t remember which one we were coming to though so I think I ended up watching some of Swan Lake instead.” he added, turning to Cat apologetically.

“Gordon you never fail to surprise me” Penny laughed as Scott simply stared at Gordon, his mouth slightly agape. 

“Well, I’m very glad you liked it.” Cat smiled. “We’re actually doing Swan Lake later in the season. I can see about arranging tickets so you can come and see it if you’d like?”

“Yes, that would be lovely” Gordon replied, with a big grin that was at least partly directed smugly at Scott. That would teach his brother to assume that he knew nothing about culture.

Looking around, the group realised that the stage had all but emptied and they headed back to the dressing rooms for Cat to get out of her costume and ready for the night ahead. Walking ahead of the rest, Mark and Cat slipped arms around each other’s waists as they chatted amicably. This cosy looking walk was a post-show ritual that they’d had for years and Cat had always loved the way it defined the boundary between the intensity of their on-stage relationship and the close friendship that they’d shared since she’d joined the company and they started regularly dancing together. 

To Scott however, it seemed anything but friendly and innocent. Confusion reigned in his mind as he was certain that there had been plenty of opportunities for a boyfriend to have been mentioned over the past 2 weeks. While no hint of one had been given, that certainly wasn’t the impression he was getting from the dancers in front of him and he suddenly felt very foolish for any hopes he may have harboured of a romantic reunion. Feeling surprisingly alone at that revelation, he glanced behind him to speak to the others, just catching sight of Penny slipping her hand into Gordon’s to a look of total adoration from his younger brother. He looked away quickly, embarrassed at having caught a private moment that had certainly not been intended for his eyes. 

He still didn’t officially know what was going on between them although both he and the rest of the family had their suspicions. Gordon had been unusually tight-lipped about anything to do with their London agent, and the only time Scott had tried to ask the answer he was given was so vague that he thought that he was actually more confused afterwards than he had been before. Whatever it was, he felt very much like a third wheel and even if the circumstances weren’t quite what he had hoped for, he was very much looking forward to adding another member to their group for the remainder of the night. 

****

Following a quick shower, Cat felt that it was most definitely time to get out of the theatre and start the more relaxing part of her evening. First though, was the small matter of making it through the throng of autograph hunters at stage door. The rest of the party hung back while Cat made her way through the groups which filled the public area inside at the stage door and spilled right out into the street. In between signing autographs and talking to fans, Cat couldn’t help but keep stealing glances at her friends, and at one member of the group in particular if she was honest with herself. Penny and Gordon were engrossed in conversation but somehow every time she looked up Scott seemed to be watching her. She couldn’t help herself and kept holding his gaze for just a fraction of a second longer than she should before looking away, finding the flutter of excitement that stirred in her stomach each time addicting.

Scott, meanwhile, was finding it very difficult to reconcile the girl he had known back in Richmond, Virginia all those years ago with the one in front of him now. Back then, there had been barely anybody waiting for the dancers after a show and he remembered clearly standing alone at the stage door with a single red rose for her on more than one occasion. Earlier in the week when he’d pictured how this evening would go he’d never considered that she might have fans waiting to speak with her and he couldn’t take his eyes off her as she made her way through the crowd, chatting to everyone, taking photos and signing programmes as she went. Endearingly, as she moved between people she would glance up as if to check that they were still waiting for her, catching his gaze each time for what felt like just fractionally longer than it should be. He was finding it very difficult to tell and the uncertainty of whether it was purely a look of friendship or whether her glances were a sign of something more was driving him mad. Not being a man who did well unless he knew everything about a situation, these looks combined with his uncertainty about her relationship with Mark was like torture for him. 

After what felt to Scott like hours, the last autographs were signed and the group assembled outside. Knowing that Parker was waiting outside the front of the theatre to take them back to Creighton Ward Manor, they made their way round to him in high spirits for what the rest of the night would bring.


	3. Chapter 3

Once back at Creighton-Ward manor, the group settled easily on the couches in the private living room, Cat in particular enjoying the chance to finally put her feet up and relax after the performance. The boys had both ditched their bow ties and jackets the second they were through the door and Penny herself had changed from her evening dress into something infinitely more suitable for relaxing. 

As Parker poured the first drinks for them before retiring for the night, Scott took the time to take in the surroundings properly as he had no recollection of ever being invited into this area of the building. Even though their families were close, visits tended to be for work purposes and any time he had spent there had been in one of the more formal reception rooms. He didn’t know why, but the idea that Penny had a comfortable sofa and tv like everyone else amused him somewhat. She had always seemed to him to be so other-worldly and different that it was comforting to know that she was actually just like everyone else.

After the performance Cat had changed into a woolen sweater and jeans, managing to somehow look casual and effortlessly stylish all at once and meaning that she was the only one not needing a change of outfits when they arrived. She was immediately at home in the manor, curled up on the sofa next to Scott and making his heart rate rise slightly with just her proximity. 

What surprised Scott was that Gordon also seemed completely at ease as he settled himself on the couch next to Penny. His younger brother was known for being unfazed by new situations but something about his demeanour made Scott strongly suspect that this wasn’t the first time he had been here. Filing that thought away for future examination, he turned his attention back to the conversation. 

“So, now we're away from the theatre, what did you guys actually think of the ballet? Did you enjoy it?” Cat felt compelled to ask, almost too scared to hear the answers, especially the one from the man sitting next to her. 

“It was amazing,” Scott found himself gushing before anyone else could speak. “You were incredible, I’ve never seen you dance like that. It was a great night and you’ll like this, Gordon even got us ice creams in the interval.”

“Well, to be fair it’s been a few years since you last saw me. And you’re right, you can’t go to the theatre without an interval ice cream. It’s tradition.” Cat smiled at Gordon, mentally adding another thing onto her list of reasons why she liked him.

“That's exactly what I said,” exclaimed Gordon triumphantly, warming even more to the dancer and very much enjoying watching his big brother trying to navigate a crush for the first time in years. “So, you two were at school together?” he continued, keen to find out more both about Cat and about Penny’s early life.

“That’s correct. We both attended White Lodge for 2 years - ” answered Penny before realising that perhaps the question had been directed at her friend and stopping suddenly with a flush of embarrassment.

“Until Penny decided that a life on the stage wasn’t for her and decided to go into international espionage instead,” added Cat with a grin aimed squarely at Penny. 

“Um what’s White Lodge? Is that the name of the school?” clarified Gordon, realising that he was going to have to work hard to keep up with the two women who seemed to finish each other's sentences.

“Sorry, yes it’s the Royal Ballet Lower School. You go there from 11 til you’re 15 and then to the Upper School at Covent Garden. Penny could easily have been a dancer -”

“But it wasn’t for me,” she finished seamlessly, with an elegant shrug. “It’s a hard life and I just wasn’t willing to devote myself completely to one thing at that age.”

Now that Gordon knew the extent of the training Penny had been through, he could see that her graceful way of moving and lithe form had come at least partially from that time. Not that he was supposed to know exactly how lithe she was, but that ship had well and truly sailed and he definitely wasn’t going to forget the images that flooded his head any time soon.

“So was it a boarding school?” Gordon asked, dragging his thoughts back to the conversation, very aware that sitting was about to become very uncomfortable for him if he didn’t stop that train of thought quickly. 

“Yes dear, so we were there for most of the year. And during the holidays Cat tended to come and visit us here so we were together most of the time in those first few years.” 

“I didn’t have the best home life when I was young so Penny let me come here and stay instead of going back to the house for the holidays,” explained Cat. “That actually continued whenever our holidays coincided even after she’d left the school so I’m very much indebted to her and her family.”

“And your family didn’t mind?” asked Gordon.

“I don’t think they really cared to be honest. My dad walked out when I was little and my step-dad didn’t really like me at all. My mum did, in her way, but ultimately she was more interested in her new marriage than me.” Cat looked up and smiled at the expressions of sadness on Penny and Scott’s faces. Her family was something she rarely talked about, preferring to maintain a safe distance from her past and it now barely bothered her to think of it privately. Somehow though, seeing other people's reactions to her story seemed to trigger an emotional response that she really didn’t want to deal with here. 

Scott caught her eyes and Cat was suddenly reminded of how sweet and caring he had always been about her history when they were together and how mindful he had always been of it when talking about his own family. Feeling an ache starting in her chest for his comfort now, she quickly looked away trying her best to maintain her dignity. 

As the only member of the group to whom this was new information, Gordon was horrified that someone could be treated that way and his feelings were clear for all to see. Although he obviously knew that it happened and he’d come across others who had been through similar upbringings, there was something about the woman sitting opposite him talking so frankly and openly about her parents not caring for her that broke his heart a little. 

“That’s ridiculous! Some people just shouldn’t be allowed to have kids!” he exclaimed loudly, not sure if he was more surprised by his outburst or the sudden feeling of Penny’s hand reassuringly on his arm, its presence instantly calming his temper but leaving him flustered in oh so many other ways. Which were made worse by the fact that his brother was sitting directly opposite him with a strange smirk on his face.

“I know what you mean but you don’t need to worry about me,” Cat continued, taking in the scene being played out in front of her but choosing to let it go without comment, beyond happy that her friend had found someone whom she obviously liked so much but also with a slight pang of jealousy that she didn’t have someone like that in her life. “A lot of people say that they wouldn’t be where they are today without their parents and that’s definitely true for me too, just not in the same way as most others. I threw myself into dancing so I could get away from the house as quickly as possible. It worked - there’s no way we could have afforded the ballet school without financial help but they must have liked me at my audition because I got a full scholarship. I moved away at 11 and that just spurred me on to work harder and harder so I didn’t have to go back.” 

Cat risked another quick glance at Scott as she finished speaking and was surprised to find him watching her with something akin to pride in his eyes. She held his gaze for a second and gave him a small smile, enjoying the flutter of excitement that shot through her as he smiled back before she tore herself away and back to the conversation. Mentally, she slapped herself as she looked away. She had promised herself that she wasn’t going to get involved with him and reminded herself again of all the reasons why it couldn’t work. And yet she couldn’t deny that there was something there. Something that she’d been missing for a long time. 

“It was at least partially Cat’s work ethic that convinced me that I didn’t want to be a dancer,” chimed in Penny, finally taking her hand back from where it had been resting on Gordons arm, leaving him feeling strangely bereft at its absence. “Do you remember we used to put on ballets in the ballroom during the holidays and make poor Parker watch them?”

“Oh god, yes! The poor man probably still hates me for that, although he did always give us flowers after every show,” laughed Cat, as Gordon and Scott both smirked at the thought of the gruff butler being forced to sit and feign enjoyment through a kids ballet show.

“Well,” Penny turned back to the boys, still smiling at the memory of their childhood escapades, “I used to watch her practicing the same steps over and over again while we were here during the holidays and it was just not something I could ever see myself doing for the rest of my life. Cat used to get the highest marks in the class in our exams and everyone used to talk about her natural talent but I knew exactly how much work went into making that natural ability work for her.”

Cat blushed as she looked up and met Gordon’s russet eyes, filled with knowing appreciation of her dedication to honing her skills. She smiled at the former Olympian, realising that out of all of them, he probably best understood the sacrifices needed to make it to the top of a competitive vocation. 

She didn’t even need to look at Scott to know that his eyes would be filled with the pride she could feel radiating out of him. Nevertheless, she couldn’t resist a quick glance and he didn’t disappoint, fixing her with a large grin that left her in no doubt of his feelings and flustering her as she tried to deflect the attention. 

“You’re too kind but I didn’t have too much of a choice about working hard - I had to be the best to keep my scholarship. Eventually it just became a habit and it's not something I’ve ever lost. What I remember about school is you absolutely obliterating everyone in the academic exams, Penny. Let's be honest, dancing isn’t the most important job in the world and you’re definitely much better doing, well, whatever it is you do now.” Cat turned to an enthralled Gordon and continued. “Penny was head and shoulders above the rest of us academically and to be honest I think it would have been a waste if she’d stayed there and become a dancer.”

“Perhaps,” Penny conceded, “but I’m glad I had that experience anyway, ” she continued, deciding the conversation needed moving on and looking between Cat and Scott who had up until then been uncharacteristically quiet. “How did you two meet?”

“Oooh, you’ll like this,” Cat exclaimed, immediately sitting forward as Scott dropped his head into his hands with a barely audible groan, instantly piquing Penny and Gordon’s interest. “I was out at a bar in Richmond with some of my friends from the company when a group of guys came in. One of whom was wearing a pair of rather fetching red PVC thigh high boots,” she finished, fixing Scott with a rather devilish grin, as Gordon exploded with laughter.

“Oh, so you’re ‘kinky boots man’?” clarified Penny, somehow managing to maintain her decorum despite Gordon nearly sliding off the sofa next to her in mirth with tears streaming down his face.

“He certainly is,” Cat answered for Scott, who was still trying unsuccessfully to disappear into the sofa in embarrassment. “We reckoned it was a dare of some kind because, other than the boots, everyone was dressed normally. We sat and debated it for a while and some of the girls were trying to find a way of getting the attention of the rest of his friends but it looked like it would take forever to find out the story and I’m really impatient, so I took myself off up to the bar at the same time as ‘kinky boots guy’ to ask. We got chatting, the groups merged for the night and the rest is history.”

“And what exactly was the reason behind the boots may I ask?”

Scott looked over at Cat and shook his head in exasperation, the effect undone somewhat by the smile that he couldn’t quite keep off his face as the memories of that night came flooding back to him. Doing the best impression of innocence she could manage, Cat smiled sweetly back at him but the glint in her eyes gave her away and he genuinely wasn’t sure if he wanted to strangle or kiss her. Shifting uncomfortably, he turned his focus back to the occupants of the other sofa as he tried to work out exactly how his life had reached this point.

“It was a dare I had with some of the guys in the squadron,” Scott finally supplied, resigned to his fate now that the story was out in the open. “I don’t even know where the boots came from but we found them and decided that whoever lost the next race we did to the mess had to wear them on the next night out. I was the quickest of the lot of them so I agreed but they ganged up on me and kept shoving me out of the way. One of them managed to knock me over a low wall and by the time I was on my feet again they’d all finished. So the boots were mine.”

“That does make more sense I guess,” Gordon spluttered, reaching for his phone. “We had similar things in WASP. I’d give anything to see pictures of that though.”

“Well unlucky for you, there aren’t any. And not a word to the others. Especially Alan. Please?” Scott warned, hating himself for spoiling Gordon’s fun but unwilling to have this conversation repeated to their baby brother by anyone other than himself. He had learned enough about Gordon’s propensity for embellishment to know that he did not want to take the risk with a story that had as many possibilities as this. 

“Well, I could be persuaded…” Gordon sat back expectantly, leaving his phone mercifully untouched.

“We can discuss THAT on the way back home tomorrow,” Scott spoke with more finality that he felt, concerned about the price his brother would expect for his silence but knowing that there was nothing he could do to avoid at least some form of bribery. He had hoped to keep his escapade it the boots private, something he had managed well over the years. He hadn’t factored in Cat however, which he was now realising was a rookie error. 

“Well, if that's the best you can do, I think I’m going to turn in for the night, ” Gordon announced with an exaggerated yawn, bringing Scott’s attention back to the conversation from where it had been happily gagging his little brother. “It’s been a long day what with the change in time zones and whatnot.”

Scott’s suspicions were immediately raised. He knew for a fact that Gordon had slept on their journey over to England and that he never willingly took an early night if there was something better on offer and nothing to get up for the next morning. He didn’t miss the look that went between Gordon and Penny as he spoke nor the slight blush that appeared on the Lady’s face in response to it. Suddenly, Scott realised that he may have some leverage against Gordon after all and his worry about everyone hearing about the boots lessened considerably. 

“You know which room you’re sleeping in tonight?” Penny checked, making Scott raise a quizzical eyebrow at Cat who smiled and rolled her eyes in response. 

“Absolutely” Gordon grinned, holding Penny’s gaze as he stood up and stretched theatrically. Dragging his eyes away from the Lady, goodnight wishes were given along with a hug for Cat. Passing behind the sofa as he headed for the door, he trailed his fingers lightly over Penny’s shoulders making her shiver unconsciously at his touch. A cheery wave from the doorway, another lingering look for Penny and he was gone, leaving the others to continue their night.

Settling back down after Gordon’s departure, Scott was glad to realise that he wasn’t especially required in conversation beyond maintaining a polite level of interested mumblings. It had quickly turned to some of the technicalities of the ballet that evening, with Penny giving a more detailed critique than she had earlier before moving on to more general talk about people he didn’t know so he contented himself instead with sipping his drink and watching the interplay between the friends. 

Penny’s formal facade had slipped more and more as the night had gone on, especially since she had become engrossed in conversation with her best friend and he found it fascinating to see the real woman peeking through. He’d always known that she must have a more informal persona underneath the layers of etiquette but it still somehow shocked him to see her with her legs curled up beneath her on the sofa, glass of wine in hand, chatting with her best friend.

As the minutes passed however, he was forced to admit to himself that he was increasingly struggling to focus on anything that wasn’t the woman sitting next to him. Every time he started to form any kind of coherent thoughts about anything, he was distracted by the sound of her voice and her laugh. 

It had been clear to him from the beginning that he was still very much attracted to her but he just couldn’t for the life of him work out what was going through her head and whether she felt the same in return. 

She was still catching his gaze for a split second longer than would be considered normal and there were a couple of times that he caught her glancing at him and smiling in a way that he would ordinarily read as flirting but he just wasn’t completely confident and didn’t want to overstep any boundaries, especially as she was so close to Penny. Generally, he was very confident of his ability to read people but it felt like he had a total block on understanding the one person in the room that he desperately wanted to and it was frustrating him no end.

Sitting opposite her guests, Penny yawned and finished her drink. She had been enjoying watching the interplay between them and was sure that they thought they were being subtle but she could read Cat like an open book and Scott had spent most of the evening gazing at her like a lovesick teen so it wasn’t difficult to imagine what he was thinking. 

Swirling beneath her observations however were more determined thoughts that no amount of distraction could suppress. Thoughts that had her glancing over to where she had last seen the young man who had sat next to her until recently, whose fingers had seared trails across her shoulders as he left. Her sense of duty to her guests meant that she stayed until they were ready to leave. Her glass remained empty in preparation for that moment.

Curled up like her namesake on the sofa next to Scott, Cat was taking great delight at watching her friend shift uncomfortably in her seat as they talked, peeking at the door and clearly wanting to follow Gordon but feeling unable to do so until her other guests had retired for the night. To a casual observer, Penny looked to be completely relaxed but Cat had the advantage of years worth of friendship and could tell that an internal struggle was raging between what upbringing told her was the etiquette with guests and her more immediate desire. 

Feeling in the mood for a little mischief, she kept the conversation going, extending it at every natural break and enjoying the sight of Penny becoming more and more desperate to make her escape. 

She knew full well that Gordon’s departure was the reason but the fact that neither of them had come clean about their relationship meant that it was possible to plead ignorance if ever challenged. She was so entertained watching Penny’s struggle, she almost missed the look Scott gave when Mark, her partner from the ballet that evening, was mentioned. 

She wasn’t unaware of how outsiders might view her close friendship with her fellow dancer but it surprised her to see a flash of hurt in his eyes before it was quickly concealed as they returned back to their previous studied calm. Having spent the entire evening hyper aware of the man next to her, she couldn't help but smile at the thought that it might not just be her that was feeling their old attraction again. 

Despite her awareness of his every move, as the evening had progressed Cat had become more and more at ease with the man sitting next to her. Being a dancer, she was used to physical contact and, as the temperature dropped with the passing hours, she thought nothing of it when she shifted her position to be ever so slightly closer to him, finding his warmth to be comforting in its familiarity.

As Cat shifted to lean on him, Scott instantly stiffened before forcing his muscles to relax again, despite his brain going at a million miles an hour trying to work out if it meant something. He just had no idea how to act and what was expected of him, caught between not wanting to make a scene in the middle of Penny’s house if he got things wrong and every nerve in his body screaming at him to wrap his arm around her and pull her in against him. 

Eventually, after artificially extending the conversation for as long as she dared Cat finally conceded that it was time for her to go to bed too. Scott, who had not been oblivious to what she had been up to agreed readily that bed sounded like a good idea and so the group disbanded for the night, with Penny heading upstairs to her suite while Cat and Scott made their way through the mansion to the guest wing where their bedrooms were situated.

As they walked, Scott took the time to admire the effortless grace of his companion. On the stage she was elegance personified but now, with only the barest smudge of makeup on and her long hair cascading in waves down her back, she looked even more beautiful to him if that was possible. How he longed to run his fingers through that hair again, maybe brushing it gently away from her face before leaning down for a gentle kiss… Pulling himself back to reality for the millionth time that evening, he cleared his throat making Cat look up at him in expectation. 

“What’s going on between those two do you think?” Scott wondered, realising that they were out of earshot of anybody who would care. He felt strangely unable to start the conversation he had been desperate to have all night so he had settled on the next best thing available and silently kicked himself for it.

“Scott Tracy, you are a gossip!”

“I am not,” he protested half heartedly. 

“Yes you are, and I love it,” Cat countered, catching his eyes and smiling, enjoying once again the flutter in her chest when he smiled back. “But I have no idea what’s happening there I’m afraid. She told me about a ‘Gordon’ who she had taken a liking to a year or so ago and there was something about a moment they had in a temple but she wasn’t very specific. Most likely because she wasn’t telling me exactly who he was.”

“I wonder if that was when they got trapped?” Scott mused, more to himself than anyone else, remembering the day they thought they had lost Penny and Gordon on an exploratory study of the Tomb of the Laughing King as it collapsed around them. The memory triggered a flash of anger at that old coot Professor Harold for callously suggesting that they should be sacrificed for the good of archaeology before quickly dousing it with the shame of having to be pulled away by Virgil before he did something he would have almost certainly regretted.

“They got what? She didn’t tell me that part!” Cat exclaimed, completely missing the emotions playing out over Scott’s face thanks to her surprise at his revelation. She had always understood that Penny’s involvement with International Rescue meant that there would be large parts of her life that she wouldn’t be privy to, but somehow it was still shocking to be confronted with evidence of it. “Well, I guess she plays her cards close to her chest, does our Penny. Even with me.”

“I’ve never known Gordon willingly take an early night when there’s nothing on the next day so something has to be up. And did you see the way they were looking at each other?” enquired Scott, giving Cat exactly the sort of look that his brother had been aiming at Penny all evening.

“Oh I completely agree about the looks,” Cat smiled, her heart rate quickening at the sudden tension that had sprung up between them. Something intangible had just shifted and she felt unaccountably nervous, knowing that despite all her promises to herself that she wasn’t going to let anything happen with him, now her mind was filled with desire and not much else. “There’s definitely something going on. I’m sure between the two of us we’ll get to the bottom of it.”

“We sure will. Well, this is me here, ” Scott admitted as they slowed to a halt outside one of the many doors. “Thanks for inviting me tonight. I had a great time.”

“You’re very welcome. I’m just glad you enjoyed it, I was worried you’d be bored.” Cat broke his gaze and looked at the floor at her admission, embarrassed that she still felt that she needed his approval. It had been years since she last thought about him before he waltzed back into her life and now here she was again, desperate for him to notice and appreciate her.

Seeing Cat standing looking so unsure of herself, it was all Scott could do not to scoop her up in his arms. The difference in her from earlier was startling to him - mere hours before, she had been completely at ease alone on the stage in front of 2500 people, but here in the corridor she seemed so fragile that he longed to hold her tight and protect her from the world. 

“You really didn’t need to be. And if you ever want another supporter at one of your shows then I’d be honoured to be there,” Scott added sincerely. He had enjoyed his night at the ballet much more than he had expected and the thought of having more experiences like that at the theatre was something he was very happy to explore. Especially if it meant spending more time with Cat.

“I’d be careful what you wish for if I were you,” Cat joked with a wicked smile, feeling like a weight had been lifted from her shoulders now she knew he was serious about his enjoyment of the ballet. “But seriously, thank you. It was really nice knowing you were there tonight.”

“I’m glad to hear it.” Scott was at a loss for words. He desperately didn’t want to say goodnight but he couldn’t think of any plausible reason to keep talking either. 

“I guess this is goodnight then,” Cat said, smiling ruefully, wishing that there was some way of prolonging the night. If she was honest with herself, what she wanted to do was reach up and kiss Scott, but her fear of being rebuffed was keeping her paralysed. 

“I guess so…” 

“Goodnight, Scott. I’ve had a really good time tonight. I’m glad we met each other again” 

“Me too. Like you wouldn’t believe. Night night, Cat,” he replied softly. 

Knowing that she wouldn’t forgive herself if he didn’t take the chance but steeling herself for rejection, Cat could feel her heart pounding in her chest as she reached up to wrap her arms around him. Taking a chance, she brushed his cheek with her lips and Scott felt it like a bolt of lightning. After holding the hug for as long as she dared, she pulled back slightly and felt Scott’s arms stay securely around her waist, just as they had 2 weeks previously. 

“Can I ask you something before we head to bed?” he started, more sure of the answer now he could feel her kiss seared onto his cheek but knowing he wouldn’t forgive himself if he proceeded without checking first. 

“Of course. Ask away.”

“What’s going on with you and Mark?”

“Absolutely nothing,” Cat laughed. “He’s my best friend besides Penny. I’ve known him since I joined the company and we’ve been pretty much inseparable ever since.”

“Ah, right. I just wasn’t sure when I saw you walking back to the dressing rooms tonight...” Scott tailed off, feeling suddenly stupid for even considering it.

“Well, well, well. Are you jealous, Mr Tracy?” Cat teased, raising an eyebrow as their eyes locked together, the smoulder she found there making her breathing ragged.

“No, I just, um…” The relief Scott felt for knowing that there was nothing stopping him from acting on his feelings was tempered by a sudden indecision as to how to proceed. He was desperate to kiss her but he wanted to take things at her pace. However, a glance down at her slightly parted lips just as she licked them as if in anticipation was enough to burst the dam he had been holding back all night. 

Before he knew what he was doing his lips had found hers, crushing them and surprising even himself with the force of his reaction. But what surprised him even more was that Cat hadn’t kneed him in the groin and actually seemed to be kissing him back. Despite that, when he broke the kiss he was still quite prepared to apologise if he had made some massive error in judgement. Instead, he was met by flushed cheeks and a pair of sparkling eyes. 

They stilled for a moment, taking in the sudden change in their relationship before Cat reached up for another kiss, barely brushing his lips with her own and making him moan with a delicious mix of pleasure and frustration as she teased him, knowing that he longed for more but unwilling to let him have everything his own way. His lips were perfectly soft, just as she remembered and his kisses generated a burning heat which slowly spread out across her body, leaving her aching to feel his skin against hers. 

Gradually she relented to his desire, slowly increasing the pressure and deepening their kisses as she snaked her tongue along the seam of his lips, encouraging them to part. Her lips felt smooth and firm beneath his own as his world ceased to exist beyond the woman in his arms. Memories and sensations from all the other times he had held and kissed her flooded back and he felt his body respond, sending all his blood south and leaving him lightheaded. 

Her breathing ragged, Cat pulled back to meet his eyes again, the burning desire in their blue depths ripping through her, stripping away any defences she had built; she could no longer deny that she wanted him and she wanted him right now. A look passed between them that they had shared many times in the past and they simply fell on each other, all caution thrown to the wind. 

Scott kissed her again and again, harder and with more urgency which she met with an immediate response. Totally lost in the moment, his knees suddenly went weak and he staggered slightly as her hand slid up to the back of his head, her fingers entwining themselves in his hair and pulling slightly. She was the only one who had ever discovered the way to drive him completely to the edge and it was nearly the end of him right then. Tightening his grip, he was completely lost to her.

Cat smiled to herself at Scott’s reaction, enjoying the sensation of his hand now tangling itself in the long strands of her own hair as he drew her closer to him and pressed his hips against her, letting her feel the unmistakable bulge against her stomach. Desperately, she clawed at his shirt, pulling it out from his waistband and sliding her hands up the smooth skin on his back making him moan again as he kissed her harder while he fumbled for the door handle.

Thinking of nothing but their aching need for each other, they practically fell into the bedroom, not caring who heard the door slamming behind them.


	4. Chapter 4

In the dim glow of the pre-dawn Scott came to and smiled to himself, basking in the memories of the previous few hours and the feeling of calm that had come over him. Opening his eyes, he could see Cat’s hair arrayed on the pillow next to him, framing her face and he kissed it gently, feeling the soft strands tickling his nose. 

Cat rolled over in her sleep, seeking him out and unconsciously wrapped herself around him. He felt her arm thread around his waist as she snuggled herself into him for comfort, whimpering slightly and burying her face into his shoulder. Instinctively, he pulled her close and she relaxed, deep sleep claiming her again. He kissed the top of her head sleepily as he drifted off again too, tangled up in each other and content. 

Hours laters, Cat awoke to the morning light creeping around the edges of the curtains, the room now bathed in a golden glow. Still not fully awake, she looked blearily around trying to work out why she wasn't in her usual bedroom at Creighton-Ward manor before suppressing a small smile as she remembered the events of the previous night. Behind her, she could feel the unmistakable warmth of Scott and she rolled over carefully and propped herself up on one elbow, doing her best not to wake him. 

Deep in sleep, he possibly looked even more handsome than usual despite his striking eyes being hidden, their long, dark lashes casting shadows on his cheeks. Worry lines that she knew hadn't been there the last time she had shared a bed with him were smoothed away, leaving him looking relaxed and happy as a small smile tugged at the corners of his full lips. 

Reaching out, she ran her fingers through his hair ever so gently, taking in the flashes of grey that were now visible at the temples. She couldn’t say she was surprised at their presence given what she knew he’d been through over the years.

He had kicked most of the covers off during the night and she let her eyes roam across his uncovered torso, such a familiar sight even after all the time that had passed. There was the jagged scar he’d gotten from falling out a tree trying to help John get his toy rocket back after it veered off course when they were kids; over there, the one from where he went over the handlebars of his bike and hit his shoulder on the edge of the kerb. She smiled, remembering lying like this with him before, listening to him tell her all the stories she apparently still knew so well. 

But then there were the new scars, the ones she didn’t recognise that clearly had stories of their own that she wasn’t privy to. Without thinking, she reached out and traced one gently with her finger, suddenly realising just how much time had passed since the last time they had lain in bed together and how little she really knew about the man he was now.

She had always had an inkling of the toll that their job must take upon the men of International Rescue and getting closer to Scott had confirmed her suspicions. Nobody who dealt with life and death on a daily basis could come out unscathed; the new scars Scott carried were testament to that. 

Her mind wandered back to Penny, beside herself with worry after Gordon had been injured in what she now knew to be a seemingly routine rescue. When it happened, Cat hadn’t understood but what she did know was that it was the only time in 15 years she’d seen her friend truly distressed. Now that she better grasped the risks that they all took on a daily basis, she could see why.

Suddenly, she found her peace shattered by the unwelcome realisation of the implications of her actions the previous night. There was an attraction between them still. That much was clear. But whether that was enough for them to form any kind of romantic relationship again when the stakes were so high was open for debate. And more importantly, she wasn’t sure she wanted another relationship, especially not with someone who had hurt her in the past.

She shuddered slightly as she remembered her last attempt at dating. Her former partner had taken offence not just at the amount of time she spent at work, but also at the close relationships she had with her fellow dancers. After months of put downs and arguments that made Cat wonder why on earth she had stayed for so long, the final straw had come when he’d seen her kissing one of them. In normal circumstances this would be a reasonable cause for argument but for the fact that it had been on stage, during a performance. Despite how clearly ridiculous it was, his paranoia was such that he was adamant this proved that she was cheating and he gave her the ultimatum of choosing her career or him. She had walked away that night but it had soured her views on relationships in general ever since and had made her much more cautious about dating anyone who didn’t completely understand the demands of her job. 

Looking down at Scott, she was relieved that he hadn’t seemed fazed by any of that when they were together before or in the limited contact they’d had over the past weeks. However, her brain helpfully reminded her of his question regarding the nature of her relationship with her best friend the previous night. She had dismissed it at the time, thinking he was just making sure that he wasn’t crossing any lines but the voice in her head wasn’t so sure. She had ignored it before to her cost but what if it were right for a second time? 

Not wanting to risk waking him, she remained unmoving for a time, letting her thoughts whirl and coalesce. The truth was she had no idea what she wanted to say to him when he awoke. 

Suddenly realising she needed space to think, she slipped out of bed and quietly dressed herself, following the trail of clothes scattered from the bed to the door.

“Good morning,” came Scott’s voice from behind her as she reached for the door handle, making her jump and freeze in her tracks.

“Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you,” Cat whispered, feeling like a deer caught in the headlights as she crossed the distance between them, settling herself delicately on the edge of the bed as he sat himself up to face her. 

“Running away so soon? I thought you’d at least stay for breakfast,” Scott tried to joke, the doubt in his eyes as they met hers betraying his jovial tone.

“I wasn’t sneaking away, I promise. I was just going to get changed before everyone gets up and starts asking questions,” she reassured, hating herself for her partial lie but unwilling to say more until she had managed to settle her thoughts.

“Sounds like a good idea to me,” murmured Scott, scooting closer to her up the bed and nuzzling into her neck, trailing kisses up towards her jaw.

Cat couldn’t help herself. Despite her turmoil she tilted her head away to allow him easier access, closing her eyes and sighing as his hand slid round the back of her neck, his fingers tangling in her hair once more. Unbidden, her hand reached up, resting on his bicep and pulling him closer as she moved her head slightly to catch his lips with her own in a lingering kiss before pulling back and standing. 

“I’ll be back soon I promise. Then I think we should probably talk about this,” she gestured to the bed, making Scott’s blood run cold. 

Left alone, Scott sat for a time on the bed, not moving from his previous position and wondering where he had gone wrong.

To say he was confused would be an understatement. They had never specifically talked about where their relationship would go, but given their flirting and the events of the previous night, he had woken up fairly certain that it had moved into romantic territory. The moment they had just shared before she left would have added credence to that theory but for her other actions that morning. Sneaking out without waking your partner up after your first night together generally didn’t scream “romance of the century” and there was something in her tone when she said that they needed to talk that struck something akin to dread into him.

Deciding that he'd be better placed if he were dressed for whatever conversation was coming his way, he swung his long legs out of bed and headed for his bag. Rummaging through it, he found his clothes and threw them on before collecting his belongings from where they had fallen the previous night, smiling at the memories they awoke but his happiness tinged with worry of what was coming next. 

Lacking anything else to do but wait, he settled himself down and contented himself with scrolling mindlessly through his phone, trying hard to concentrate on the screen instead of letting his brain get too far ahead of him. 

Overthinking had always been a bad habit of his and was definitely the downside of his tendency to act first and think later. Most of the time his instincts were good and he got it right, but when he didn’t it could leave a world of regrets for him to sift through. Wracking his brains, he couldn’t think of anything he had done wrong the previous evening but there was a gnawing doubt that he just couldn't shake that something was amiss.

After what felt like an age, he finally heard the soft knock that he’d been waiting for and he crossed the room quickly, keen to get whatever conversation was needed started.

“Is everything OK?” he asked, stepping back to allow her entry.

“Yeah, sorry about that,” Cat said, crossing the room and sitting on the couch in the small sitting area that Penny always provided for her guests.

“So, what’s going on then?” asked Scott, weighing up his options and choosing a chair slightly off to one side. Ordinarily he would have chosen to sit next to her but something about her demeanour set alarm bells ringing and he wanted to be able to maintain a respectful distance in case the conversation soured.

“I don’t know,” Cat sighed, not knowing how to proceed. She had come in absolutely sure of how to have the conversation she knew she needed to but now she was in front of him, it seemed so much harder somehow. 

“Well, can I take you for dinner sometime?” Scott asked, deciding that he was going to have to be the one to make the first move. Cat visibly tensed at his question and Scott quickly realised that she was steeling herself to do something unpleasant, sending his heart plummeting.

“Scott, listen, I don’t know if that’s such a good idea. I don’t really have time for a relationship right now with everything I’ve got coming up at work. And we both know how it ended before. I don’t know if I want a repeat of that if I’m honest,” she held up a hand to stop him from interrupting before she continued. “I know it was years ago and I have forgiven you but it doesn’t take away the fact that it still happened. You don’t just get to swan back in here with your big blue eyes and your dimples and sweep me off my feet,” she finished much more forcefully than she had expected, suddenly aware that long buried emotions were starting to make themselves known. 

“I… I’m sorry. I didn't think…” Scott stammered, taken aback by the sudden anger in her voice.

“Look Scott, you really hurt me ok? I mean, we knew we were going to be long distance for a while but we worked it all out, having me in London and you in the Air Force. And then suddenly you were deployed for a few weeks and it was over? I was devastated, Scott. Do you know that? I was 3 weeks into finding my feet in a new city and a new company and suddenly the one person I thought would have my back no matter what dropped me without a backward glance. That really fucking hurt!” Cat took a deep breath and blinked away the tears that were threatening to fall. 

“I don’t know what to say,” stammered Scott, all his worst fears about the impact of his actions suddenly confirmed. 

“Saying goodbye to you before you deployed was one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do,” sniffed Cat, looking at the floor as she slumped in her seat letting the tears flow freely, her anger giving way to grief. “I spoke to so many of the other wives and girlfriends before you left so I thought I knew what to expect but nothing could prepare me for it. Moving away from you to London was bad enough without you heading into a war zone at the same time. I had no idea if I’d ever see you again. I get that it was just really shitty timing for everything and I know that part wasn’t your fault but to go through that, start getting life back to normal and then being dumped when I was back on my feet was the worst.

“You nearly destroyed me, Scott,” she continued, looking up at him again as the tears continued to fall. “I couldn’t eat, I couldn't sleep. And all the while I was trying to make new friends and impress in a new company. Thank god for Penny and Parker for looking after me all through it.”

Wiping away the tears, she held his gaze when she stopped talking, as if daring him to look away from the impact of his actions and his heart ached as the reality of the hurt he’d been responsible for was rammed home for him. 

Before he was even aware he was moving, Scott found himself on the sofa next to her, his arms wrapped tightly around her, pulling her into his chest. She clung to him, burying her face in his neck as he kissed the top of her head, trying desperately to give her the comfort that she needed. 

Even though it had been his decision, their breakup had hurt him too and he well remembered the pain in his chest as he had ended that call; it was the same as the pain that was there now. When it came to relationships, he’d been brought up to always consider others feelings before acting and being confronted with his failure to do so hit him hard.

“I’m so sorry. You’re right, I absolutely shouldn’t have done it like that. I just didn’t think about the timing at all,” Scott felt terrible but also defensive of his actions. Despite the hurt they had so obviously caused, they had been made for a good reason. 

“Why?” she asked simply, looking up at him but not pulling away from his embrace. “Why did you do it?”

The simplicity of the question caught him off guard and Scott’s mind was suddenly pitched back into the chaos of the first few weeks of his deployment. Cat waited and watched quietly as Scott tried to sort through the memories, the silence building between them. 

“I was scared,” he admitted finally. “I’d seen so much death over the few weeks that I’d been there that I thought I wouldn’t ever be the same again and I didn’t know what to do. I thought it was better for you if I left than if you had to deal with the aftermath when I got back.”

“You would have been worth it,” she replied quietly, not trusting herself to say any more without crying again.

“But it wouldn't have been fair to put that on you. You had your own life to live - look how amazingly you’ve done. You didn’t need me coming back and ruining it all for you.”

“So you’re saying the only reason you broke us up was to protect me?” Cat clarified with a hint of a sneer in her voice, her previous anger starting to return.

“Absolutely. If it wasn’t for that, there’s no way I’d have let you go.” Scott was earnest in his response but the warning in Cat’s tone had the first doubts about his actions starting to creep in. 

“Bullshit,” she spat, pulling sharply away from his embrace. “You just didn’t want to risk the guilt you’d have felt if you’d come back with some kind of trauma so you decided to make life easier for yourself. It was completely selfish.”

“No! That’s absolutely not it!” Scott was horrified that his actions could have been taken in such a way. “I just wanted to protect you. I didn’t know what else would happen when I was there. We’d already had one guy seriously injured if you remember? I could have come back mentally or physically changed. And I might not have come back at all.”

“But you didn't! You were fine!”

“But I didn’t know that, did I?” exclaimed Scott, exasperated and bewildered in equal measure.

“But surely you can see that it should have been my choice to make?” Cat pointed out, taking a deep breath and trying to regain some of her composure. “I wanted to wait for you and be there for you through whatever the aftermath might throw at us. If you’d changed and I couldn’t handle it then I should have made that call.” 

“You’re right. And I’m sorry. It’s all I can say now. I shouldn’t have made that decision for you. You have no idea how much I wish I could take it back” Scott found tears prickling his eyes now that the flash of frustration had passed and the conversation had calmed somewhat.

“Hey,” said Cat softly, her anger evaporating as she gently cupped his cheek with her hand, stroking the soft skin beneath his eye with her thumb. “It’s ok. I understand. I can’t imagine the stress you must have been under.”

Scott leant into her touch, closing his eyes and allowing himself a moment to savour the comfort it brought before looking back at her. 

“It was the stupidest decision I’ve ever made,” he said quietly, his eyes imploring her to believe him. “As soon as I’d said it I wanted to take it back and when I got off the call I felt like I couldn't breathe for the pain in my chest.”

“I remember that feeling well,” commented Cat, with a look that went right through Scott.

He’d always known that the hurt he had felt must have been replicated in her, but to have it confirmed was like a dagger to the heart. With a shock, he realised that she had probably felt it worse than him, as at least he had known it was coming while she had been completely blindsided by it. 

“I loved you, you know,” Scott said suddenly. “More than you probably realise.” 

“And I didn’t just run off and find someone else,” he added, unsure of why but feeling compelled to tell her anyway. “I’ve not had a serious girlfriend since we broke up - nobody else has ever compared to how amazing you are.”

“I really loved you too Scott. If we’d stayed together then...” Cat tailed off with a sad smile and a gentle shrug, making Scott’s already fractured heart shatter with the knowledge of what could have been. “Well, I guess we’ll never know.” 

Silence fell between them as they both took in the shifts in their understanding of the circumstances surrounding their break up and gathered their thoughts.

“So what now?” he ventured, trying not to hold his breath as he waited for the answer.

“Do you think we can start over again maybe? As friends?” Cat answered, feeling surprisingly shy and nervous about the answer.

“Sounds good to me,” Scott smiled, despite the pang in his heart as it mourned the loss of something it had hoped for but never truly had. 

“Friends then?” Cat stood up, the relief palpable in her voice and demeanour as she held out her arms for a hug.

“Friends,” Scott confirmed, wrapping his arms around her and kissing the top of her head as he held her tightly.


	5. Chapter 5

The cheers of the crowd bathing her in a glow of satisfaction that she’d never managed to find elsewhere, Cat stood on the stage of the Opera House after her performance of Swan Lake, savouring the moment. It was a marathon of a ballet that took every ounce of energy she had, and the appreciation shown by the audience at the end made the hard work and downright pain of her chosen career totally worth it. 

She knew as well as everyone else on the stage that the post performance glow could be short lived and, with her long day nearly over, she was relieved that all she had left to do was receive her flowers, get changed and head home. Sensing a shift in focus from those around her, she looked over to the wings in time to see one of the Opera House staff staggering onto the stage with quite possibly the largest bouquet she had ever seen and heading straight for her.

Since her first performance of Giselle, larger and larger arrangements of flowers had started arriving at the Opera House to be presented onstage at the end of each show. There was never a name or message on the card hidden inside, just the initial S and two kisses. It was a fact that didn’t go unnoticed and became a source of debate and amusement within the company whenever she performed to see how many flowers she would receive and whether the mysterious sender would make themselves known. 

Outwardly, Cat pretended to be exasperated by the constant influx of flowers but secretly she loved it and always thanked Scott profusely for his thoughtfulness. She had never expressly told him what her performance schedule was, so she supposed that he had looked it up and made arrangements accordingly. It had never been discussed aside from her giving her thanks but it was something that made her heart flutter dangerously every time and she cherished it. 

With the curtain calls over, and with everyone having somehow managed to avoid tripping over the flowers as they laid on the stage, Cat headed back to her dressing room, barely able to see over the top of them. It wasn’t the only bouquet she had received that night and as she walked she thought that it was lucky that it was a route she had followed so often as she was relying almost entirely on memory to find her way.

As soon as she was safely in the dressing room, she carefully placed her flowers in the sink and pulled out her phone.

_How the hell am I supposed to get these home on the tube?! They barely fit in the bloody dressing room! (Thank you very much for them btw. They’re beautiful!)_

Smiling, she put her phone down and started to get on with the business of getting her costume undone when, almost instantly, her phone buzzed with a reply.

_Good job I'm here tonight then, isn’t it? I’ll have the car at the front when you’re ready._

Cat smiled as her heart lurched with the unexpected excitement of seeing Scott again. It wasn’t the first time they had met up since their night at Penny’s and their friendship felt like it was blossoming. Multiple messages were exchanged daily and the more they learned about the others lives, the more comfortable they became. 

_What?! Why didn’t you tell me you were coming? Why don’t you come round to stage door and I’ll come down to meet you there? I need to grab a shower before I leave and I’ll be a while so you can wait in my dressing room._

Text sent, Cat raced through getting her tutu off and threw a tracksuit on. Checking her phone, she smiled again as she saw the reply,

_I wanted to surprise you and yeah, that sounds much better than sitting out here by myself. See you soon!_

Keen not to keep Scott waiting, she flew down the stairs, shoving down the nagging thought that she shouldn’t be this excited to see someone who was supposed to be just a friend. It was a decision that they had made together and she was determined to stick to it, regardless of the little voice in her head that kept pointing out that it had been her idea and that he had merely agreed to it. 

Scott was already waiting for her when she arrived and her breath caught slightly as she took him in before he spotted her. He really was almost impossibly beautiful, she thought; the very epitome of tall, dark and handsome. His impeccably cut suit looked to be the same colour as his dress blues from his airforce days, a memory that stirred another flutter in her stomach. 

“C’mon then you,” she greeted him fondly, enjoying the look of surprise on his face when he registered her next to him as she grabbed his hand and led him into the maze of corridors backstage. 

“Well hello to you too,” he smiled, following behind and enjoying the touch of her hand much more than he thought he should. 

Having never discussed the identity of her flower sender with anyone but her closest friends, bumping into two members of the corps de ballet on the stairs while escorting Scott Tracy back up to her dressing room was definitely not part of Cat’s plan to keep it a secret, especially as, she realised with a start, she was still holding his hand. 

A hot flash of something akin to jealousy flared through her as she saw the appreciative glances they threw his way as they passed by and she mentally kicked herself for it as she hurried an oblivious Scott up to the relative privacy of her room. It wasn’t that she was trying to keep their friendship a secret; she just really didn’t want to be pressured into publicly defining something that was so far totally undefinable to her. 

“You did great tonight,” Scott started with a smile that made Cat’s heart rate increase as the door closed behind them. 

“Thank you very much,” she grinned, turning away quickly so he couldn’t see the effect he’d had on her. She watched in the mirror as he headed over and made himself comfortable on her window seat before starting the job of unpinning her headdress and letting her hair out of its tight bun. “When you said you were here I wondered if you’d seen it.”

“Wouldn’t have missed it, even if it did mean a ridiculously early start this morning. Sorry about the flowers by the way,” he added as he caught sight of them, the small sink making the arrangement look even bigger than it was. “I didn’t realise you’d have other bouquets as well and I genuinely didn’t expect mine to be quite that big.”

“That’s OK,” laughed Cat, moving on to removing the worst of her makeup. “It was hilarious watching them try to get them all onstage. I’m just glad you’re here to help me get them all home.”

“So, um, what would you like to do once you’re ready? I’d be very happy to take you for dinner if you'd like?” Scott knew full well that she wouldn’t have eaten since late afternoon and would likely be hungry after all the energy she had used in her performance. He had many happy memories of late meals after her shows and was keen to recapture those moments, even if they didn’t lead to the same end to the night as they used to.

“Not sure I really fancy dinner,” came the reply, throwing a bucket of ice water over the daydream he had somehow slipped into. “It’s been a long day and my feet really hurt. I was just planning on making some pasta and chilling out tonight if you’d like to join me?”

“That sounds wonderful,” smiled Scott, his initial disappointment at her rebuttal turning to enthusiasm for her counter offer, visions of cosying up on the sofa appearing in his head.

“Right, I’m going to jump in the shower, keep making yourself at home and I’ll be as quick as I can,” she finished, grabbing her clothes and disappearing without a backward glance, leaving Scott to his thoughts.

Scott looked around and wondered what to do. He'd been in the dressing room once before after Giselle but with Penny and Gordon there too he hadn’t paid much attention to it at the time. He was acutely aware that this was her private space in the theatre and he didn’t want to pry. Actually, that wasn’t entirely true. He found her fascinating and wanted to find out everything he could about her life but he wasn’t prepared to violate her privacy, so he contented himself with settling down on the chair at her dressing table and looking at the pictures that she had stuck around her mirror.

He’d looked at nearly all of them when, to his surprise, he spotted a picture he had taken of Cat and some friends of hers whose names he had once known. Seeing it again transported him back to that day: waking up with her beside him before going for a lazy brunch, then heading out on a trail walk along the James River where they bumped into a group of her friends, joining them for a while on their walk and laughing with them as they took the pictures. 

He wondered, with a pang of regret, if she still had the picture of the two of them that had been taken moments later, cuddled up to each other and smiling, cheeks rosy from the slight chill in the air. He’d not thought of that picture since the day it had been taken. At the time it hadn’t seemed like it was of any real importance, just a snapshot of another day together with the promise of countless more like it in their future, but now… Well, now it mattered somehow. 

His musing was interrupted by Cat breezing out of the showerroom, now dressed and ready to go. As they chatted amicably while she gathered her belongings, to his delight he noticed with a start that she was wearing the same outfit that she had at Pennys, sending his thoughts spiralling back to the events of that night and making him wonder if there was a significance there that he was not yet aware of. He was very relieved when she thrust a couple of her bouquets into his arms and led him out of the room, unwittingly breaking that particular train of thought before it could affect him too much. 

Down at the stage door, Scott found himself hanging back while Cat signed autographs for the second time in as many months. Unlike the last time, however, he was now playing the role of a glorified vase and within the first 10 minutes he started to quite seriously regret his choice of bouquet as the foliage tickled his nose for what felt like the 100th time.

The number of people who turned out, and were prepared to wait in the unseasonably cool London night to speak to their favourite dancers, amazed him. When he thought about it properly, he wasn’t sure why; they were stars in their own right and their fans wanting to meet them made perfect sense. It was a world away from his experiences of waiting alone for Cat after her early performances in Richmond and his heart swelled with pride at her accomplishments since then as he watched her work her way through the crowd.

As he waited, he became uncomfortably aware of people watching him too and once he had realised that, he became sure he could hear his name being whispered in conversation, making him quickly duck behind the flowers, using them as a shield. He was well aware of the attention his presence could attract and also very keen not to let the focus be taken away from those who deserved it so he started to maneuver himself away from the crowd. 

On their way down from the dressing room, Scott had promised Cat that he would have the car waiting for her once she was finished and when he became certain that he had been spotted, he gratefully snuck away to fetch it, rifling through his pocket for the keys and trying not to drop the damn flowers that were quickly becoming the bane of his life. 

Safely settled in the driver's seat, Scott allowed himself to slump for a moment and prepare for the evening ahead of him. He cherished his friendship with Cat but there was no doubt of how he still felt about her. As soon as they’d started talking again it was clear to him that they still had a connection and the night they’d spent at Penny’s had cemented that. Or at least he’d thought it had. 

He understood why she had made the decision to be friends and nothing more, but that didn’t mean it hurt him any less. He had pushed that hurt down in order to keep her in his life and he’d been pleasantly surprised at how natural it had felt when they had met up a few weeks later. Where he’d expected awkwardness and long silences, he’d found laughter and flowing conversation which encouraged him to persevere further, truly hoping that one day his feelings would fade and he could be the friend she desired. 

When they were apart, he almost managed to convince himself that friendship between them would be entirely possible, but as soon as they were together, he longed to reach out and bridge the gap between them. Being so close to her but unable to act on his feelings was like some kind of delicious torture that he hated and loved in equal measure. He was hopelessly addicted to her, and he had no idea what to do about it.

*****

Feeling unnaturally clumsy under Scott’s gaze, Cat muddled around her flat, finding light switches and vases while simultaneously urging him to make himself at home and apologising for the non existent mess. She hadn’t been expecting a visitor when she had left that morning and she reddened as she spotted the underwear that she’d left over a radiator to dry, grabbing and stuffing them down the side of a cupboard, most likely never to be seen again.

If Scott saw her, he didn’t mention it and for that she thought she would be forever grateful. He followed her around, helping as much as he could as he looked around in interest at the place she called home. 

“Hey,” she commented with a smile, finally coming to rest and surveying the veritable florists that had appeared in her kitchen, “remember when you used to just get me a single rose after a show?”

“What, like this one?” Scott grinned, holding out a blood red flower that he had produced from lord knows where.

Cat smiled slowly as she met his eyes, making his heart race. He kissed the flower and presented it to her with a deep bow, as he had seen her doing to her partner on stage earlier that night and was delighted when she received it with a curtsey.

“I…. Thank you,” Cat smiled, genuinely pleased with what she hoped would be her final floral gift for the night. The rose brought back so many memories of their time together and for that alone it meant more than all the other flowers combined. 

“Right, shall we get dinner on, then? We're still making pasta?” Scott broke the moment and took charge. Seeing a kettle, he filled it and set it to boil before looking around the kitchen for any hints of where utensils and food might be kept.

“Bottom drawer, next to the fridge,” Cat instructed, following his line of thinking and directing him towards the saucepans. The pair of them bumped companionably around the kitchen as they made the simple meal for themselves, falling easily back into old habits and divisions of labour.

“Ooh, wine,” Scott exclaimed, emerging from the fridge and holding a bottle triumphantly above his head. “Would you like a glass?”

“Yes, I think I would,” came the reply from somewhere deep within a cupboard as Cat rummaged through for the sauce she was looking for. “It always takes me ages to unwind properly after a show and I do like a nice glass or two now and again.”

“I remember,” Scott replied softly as he put the bottle down. Something in his tone caused Cat to stop what she was doing and turn to look at him, finding his eyes mesmerising as they caught hers. 

Cat was pinned by them, her breath quickened as she drowned in their depths and she fought the sudden urge to take the few steps needed to close the gap between them. His lips looked so soft and inviting and she found herself wondering if they tasted the same as when she had last kissed them. 

“Shit!” Cat’s attention was distracted by the unmistakable sound of a pan boiling over. She rushed to mop up the worst of the water, the moment lost. 

By the time she looked back up, Scott had moved too and had busied himself by pouring two glasses of wine and getting the plates ready for when it was time to dish up their dinner. 

It was probably for the best, she told herself. They were just friends. They’d both agreed. And friends didn’t look at each other like that, right? 

Settling down after dinner, they flopped into well practised positions on the sofa, facing each other with their legs comfortably tangled together in the middle and her feet in his lap. 

As he listened to Cat talking about her plans for her summer break and the ballets she had coming up in the new season, Scott had found his mind drifting back to the moment that they had shared in the kitchen, feeling once again the way his breath had seemed to catch every time her eyes met his. 

Lost in her, he absentmindedly rubbed her feet, feeling the tense muscles slowly loosen under pressure from his thumbs, the action soothing him and allowing him time to let his racing thoughts settle. 

Ultimately, he had no idea what was going on. If they were to be friends, he’d make his peace with that and would continue to hide his true feelings for her until they faded, but they continued to have moments that were charged with such intensity that they were impossible to ignore or write off as something else. 

He realised that she had stopped talking and was watching him with an almost unreadable expression but for the little smile creeping onto the corners of her mouth. 

“Sorry,’ he apologised, feeling the heat creeping up his cheeks and snatched his hands away as if her feet were on fire.

“No, it’s OK. It felt good,” she reassured him. “You were always really good at that. It just brought back a lot of memories, that's all.”

Scott smiled gratefully and went back to working on getting the knots out of her feet, a comfortable silence coming over them. Listening to her talking had planted the seed of an idea, one which he was unaccountably nervous about broaching lest she think he was overstepping any boundaries. As he worked, the idea grew and coalesced into something more tangible, something that he thought might actually help cement their friendship.

“I’ve got something to ask you…” he started hesitantly, “You can absolutely say no but I wanted to ask anyway.”

“OK, fire away.” Cat fixed him with a look that excited and scared him in equal measure as she fiddled with her wine glass.

“I know you were saying you have some plans for your summer break, but if you have a bit of time would you like to come out to the island for a visit? Spend a bit of time in the sun?” 

“Wow! That’s quite the suggestion,” she paused, taking a moment to consider the offer and nearly causing Scott’s heart to stop. “Yeah, that sounds lovely,” she decided, giving him a small nod and a beaming smile that lit up her face. 

Scott let out the breath he realised he’d been holding since he’d let the question into the open and his smile matched hers, relief washing over him. “Really? You don’t have to agree to it if you’re not completely sure.”

“No, I really want to, it was just a surprise that’s all.” As the idea took hold, Cat could feel herself getting more excited. She’d not had a proper chance to relax since the previous summer, and even that had been marred by the tail end of her previous relationship, so the thought of a week on a tropical island with Scott was definitely something she could get on board with.

“Amazing! You’re going to love it,” Scott smiled, beyond delighted at the thought of being able to show her his home and introduce her to everyone who was important to him. “We can sort out the details another time though. You look exhausted and don’t think I’ve not seen you stifling yawns for the last 10 minutes.”

Cat couldn’t do anything but laugh. “Yeah, you got me, I think it might be my bedtime. It’s awkward question time now, though. Where were you planning on staying tonight?” 

“Selene said I could use her place so I was just going to go there,” Scott responded at once, his answer taking her by surprise.  
  
“Um, who’s Selene?” Cat tried very hard to maintain an even tone and a neutral expression despite the flash of jealousy that surged through her for the second time that night, somehow catching her by surprise again.

“John’s fiancee and my best friend. Remember, I did tell you about her?” replied Scott, trying very hard not to grin at her obvious discomfort.

“Ah yeah, I just, um... forgot her name, that’s all…” Cat tried to explain, fooling nobody, least of all herself.

“You weren’t jealous there were you, Miss George?” Scott pressed, a glint appearing in his eyes and a wicked grin on his lips.

“Not at all,” Cat insisted, suddenly becoming very interested in her wine glass and trying to ignore the flush that had appeared on her cheeks. “Well, it’s very late, we've had a drink and I have a spare room so you’re welcome to stay here if that would be easier?”

“That does sound tempting. I’ll not be sleeping much though,” he couldn’t help but pause for effect and was gratified with the response when Cat’s eyes shot back up to meet his as she cocked an eyebrow at him. “It’s 2 in the afternoon my time so I’m pretty wide awake I’m afraid. If you don’t mind me watching TV and having a quick nap so I’m good to fly back tomorrow, then I’d love to stay.”

“You’re a terrible tease, Mr Tracy,” Cat shook her head but her smile betrayed her true feelings. “Of course that’s OK.”

Having set Scott up with everything he could ever possibly need for the coming hours, Cat finally retired to bed but despite her exhaustion, sleep didn’t come easily for her. No matter how hard she tried, her thoughts kept returning to the man in her living room and how torn she felt about him. From the moment they had met again, something had been constantly there, telling her that she couldn’t let him go but to her it wasn’t as simple as that. 

At an early age she had learned the pain of rejection by those who should have loved her and it had scarred her deeply. In Scott, she had found someone to whom she had given both her trust and her heart, and his sudden departure from her life had hurt her tremendously. 

Once broken, trust wasn’t something she gave out again that easily and she had thought very carefully before letting him back into her life. Yet, despite everything, she wanted to give him her trust. She wasn’t prepared to risk loving him for a second time but friendship seemed to be a good compromise to make in order to be in his life but not stray too close. 

When they were apart it seemed perfectly easy. The messages and calls flowed constantly and there was no end to the things they could talk about. The problem arose when they were together. He seemed to have a magnetic pull on her that was getting increasingly difficult to deny. She had slipped up once and even though her body might be crying out for a repeat performance, her mind was made up.

Groaning quietly, she rolled over and buried her head in the pillow. It was going to be a long night. 

*****

Whatever Scott had planned for their Sunday morning together, it was not the little cafe that he found himself sitting in a few blocks away from Cat’s flat. At the very least, he had imagined going someplace where there were proper tablecloths covering tables that didn’t wobble when you leaned on them, risking spilling drinks with every move. However, the food was excellent, the coffee plentiful and the company the best he could imagine so, all things considered, he was very happy with his situation. 

Full of food and starting to feel tired from a day that had started almost 19 hours earlier on Tracy Island, he stretched back in his chair, inadvertently catching the attention of the waitress and flashing her a smile in response to her enquiring look. 

Across from him, Cat felt a rush of annoyance fire through her as she sipped her coffee and tried to maintain a neutral expression. She’d been feeling on edge all morning, the fight between what she was prepared to give and what she really wanted, wearing her down and making her feel vulnerable and irritable. 

An idea sparked at that moment though, one that would both prove to herself that she was fine with their friendship being nothing more than that and take away any temptation to push things further. 

“You should get her number,” she suggested, instantly surprised by how much that simple little sentence hurt. 

“What? Why?” Scott stuttered, completely blindsided. He couldn’t think of anything in his behaviour that had suggested that he might have wanted a date and had no idea where this suggestion could possibly have come from.

“You were flirting with her. All those jokes and looks while we were ordering, and that smile right there? Don’t say you weren’t,” she continued, hating herself for every word but doubling down and pushing ahead anyway. The thought of Scott dating anyone hurt her more than she was willing to admit, but she had started down this path and she was committed now. 

Scott sat back, running his hands through his perfectly styled hair, not quite believing what was happening. “I wasn’t flirting, I was being polite and friendly. There is a difference, you know.” He knew he was being defensive, but at that moment he just didn't care.

“You’ve got to admit it though, you are a flirt. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you not hit on someone, given half a chance.” Cat felt like she was watching herself from afar, not quite believing what she was saying. As soon as the words were out of her mouth she felt the cold rush of dread spread over her and picked up her coffee cup again in a bid to disguise her shaking hands. 

“Listen, this conversation is starting to make me really uncomfortable. I don’t want to date the waitress and I’m not really sure where all of this has come from. Can we just drop it now please?” 

“Sorry,” Cat looked down at the empty cup in her hands, desperately wishing that she could go back in time to before she’d ever thought of her wonderful ‘idea’. In retrospect, she wasn’t sure what she had expected to happen, but it certainly wasn’t the reaction that she had gotten. She couldn’t remember a time that he’d ever spoken to her as sharply as that before and it had shaken her. 

Scott nodded curtly and went back to his coffee, looking outwardly calm but his mind was whirling. He always flirted. It was part of who he was and he’d always thought she liked that, or at the very least accepted it about him. It had never been an issue when they had dated before so he couldn’t understand why him behaving totally normally to a waitress was now cause for comment. 

Fine, he thought petulantly, if flirting means that I want to sleep with someone and we’re just going to be friends then I’d better stop flirting with her too. Don’t want her getting the wrong idea now, do we?

A pang of loss hit him as soon as he made the decision; he had come to crave the excitement that her looks and touches gave him and it would be hard to give that up. Not that he’d been the only one doing the flirting, he thought in annoyance. Not responding was going to be a tough but perhaps necessary evil given the circumstances. 

“Wanna get out of here?” he asked with the barest hint of a smile. 

Cat nodded miserably. She knew he was angry, she could see it in the set of his jaw. The sparkle had gone from his eyes and he was avoiding looking at her but really she couldn’t blame him. She’d messed up and called him out on something that came to him as naturally as breathing, so he was perfectly entitled to be annoyed and she hated herself for being the cause of it. 

Walking around the local park afterward, Cat did her best to act as if nothing had happened but she wasn’t getting anywhere. She knew from experience that Scott needed a bit of time to cool down when he was angry, but they had limited time together and she didn't want to waste it, even if he was clearly in a bad mood with her. 

Slowly, the frosty atmosphere between them thawed slightly but there were still long, awkward silences that had never been there before and Cat had to work hard to initiate any conversation. The animosity that had radiated from Scott since they left the cafe abated but Cat found she still couldn’t relax as she started to notice a marked change in Scott’s behaviour towards her. 

Since their argument, he hadn’t been cold exactly, but there was a reservation in his actions that hadn’t been there before. Where he had been open and playful, often touching her hand or holding a smile for fractionally longer than necessary, now he was barely making any contact at all and she felt the loss keenly. 

Despite trying to act relaxed, Scott was trying desperately to squash down his natural urge to fix everything. He knew that a quick smile and a cheeky comment would make everything OKagain but he hadn't liked being called out for flirting so he was damned if he was going to use it to get back into her good books. 

Her comment about asking out the waitress had confused him and nothing more but, when she started challenging him about flirting constantly, that had angered him. The more he thought about it the more angry he had become and the more he doubled down on his resolution not to flirt with her again.

Deep down, he knew he was being petty and probably overreacting but he’d gone to a lot of effort to pull together his trip to London He’d been so excited to see Cat and spend some quality time with her and it felt like her actions at brunch had thrown all his efforts back in his face and ruined it. He stewed silently as they walked, his growing anger mixing with regret, knowing that he would need to apologise at some point but not willing to back down and fix everything quite yet. 

The longer it went on, the more her attempts to apologise and lighten the mood were rebuffed, the angrier Cat became. She knew she’d messed up but his treatment towards her was completely disproportionate. She’d apologised and in her experience of adult relationships that was the point at which people would talk about it and move on. Scott treating her like she was barely even an acquaintance when she was giving him a chance to regain her trust was going too far and she wasn’t going to stand for it. 

She’d had enough and took them on a shortcut back to her flat, keen to get the walk over so she could talk to him more privately. Her anger at his childish behavior was growing by the minute and by the time they reached her flat she was seriously considering whether it was worth even continuing their friendship at all. 

Closing the door behind her, Cat was surprised to find that Scott had already grabbed his bag and was standing ready to go. 

“I need to get back...” he tailed off, glancing down at his bag as he shifted uncomfortably.

Cat had always known he was going to need to leave after brunch. She would much rather have had a chance to sit down and talk properly but time was against them and she wasn’t going to let him run away on her when the going got tough again. “OK, but I’m going to ask you something before you go.”

“Of course,” Scott replied warily, not expecting the sharp tone of her voice or the way she straightened as if preparing herself for battle.

“Is everything OK with you today? You’ve seemed pretty distant since we went for brunch,” she challenged with a lot more confidence than she felt. It was not a question that she wanted the answer to, but she couldn’t let him go without asking him, she had to know.

“Yeah, I’ve told you I’m fine,” he answered shortly, keen not to get drawn into a discussion right now when emotions were clearly still running high for both of them.

“I just… I wasn’t sure if you still wanted to be friends or not?” she met his eyes, finding her strength and challenging him to be honest with her now that the question, and her deepest fear, was in the open.

“Of course I do. What gave you that impression?” Scott was growing frustrated by her questions, baffled as to how they could possibly even be having this discussion.

“Yesterday you surprised me for the night, bought me the biggest bunch of flowers I’ve ever seen and invited me to spend a week with you on your family's island, and this afternoon you’ve hardly even looked at me,” she argued, feeling more confident about making her point but not wholly convinced by his answer given his actions that day. “I get it, I messed up earlier and I’m sorry, but I feel like I have whiplash from how fast everything has changed. So I’ll ask you again, and I want you to be honest with me - do you want to be friends or not?”

“No, I don’t,” Scott snapped, as anger surged through him, shocking her with his ferocity. 

Everything he’d been doing to ensure he didn’t cross the line from friends to something more had been taking its toll on him, and that, combined with whatever the hell it was that had happened at brunch, had finally pushed him to his limit. 

“I flew 13,000 miles to see you. I rearranged my time off so it fitted in with your performance and your schedule. And today you tell me I should be dating some waitress I’ve never spoken to before? You want to know what I want? You”

All Cat stood could do was stare at him, her mouth slightly agape. She wanted to speak, to say something. Anything. But the words wouldn't form. 

“I want to date you, Cat, no one else. I was to kiss you and take care of you and love you like I used to.”

Suddenly realising what he’d said, Scott pushed past her without waiting for a reply and walked through the door, slamming it on his way out and leaving a bewildered Cat to wonder how on earth she was going to salvage this one.


	6. Chapter 6

“What’re you pacing around like a caged animal for? They won’t be here for at least another half an hour.” 

“I’m not pacing, I’m just... checking,” Scott retorted, leaving the window and heading down to the couches, sitting for 30 seconds before getting back up again. 

“Right, that’s it. What’s going on? You’ve not stopped fidgeting and checking the time all day.” Selene had been drafted in to try to distract Scott by a fed-up Virgil after he had insisted on ‘helping’ with the routine maintenance on Two. He wasn't known for his ability to sit and wait for things to happen but he had been taking it to new levels today and, as his best friend, she wasn’t going to let him away with it. 

“There’s nothing going on,” he huffed, “I just don’t understand why Parker insisted on bringing her in FAB1 when I offered to give her a lift.”

“Maybe because you’re on duty?” Selene, suggested innocently. “And don’t fob me off with that ‘there's nothing going on’ bullshit. I know she's your ex girlfriend.” 

“Who told you that?” Scott hissed, finally quitting his prowling by the window and shooting down to sit next to her. 

“Gordon. What? I didn’t think it was some big secret given that you’ve gone to London by yourself twice in the last couple of months. Unless you’ve been going out without me?” She feigned outrage and Scott knew he was beaten.

“Alright, fine, but this stays between us OK?”

“Of course,” she soothed, despite the slight irritation that he even felt like he had to ask.

“We dated for a year when I was in the air force. I stupidly ended it when I shouldn’t have and then we didn’t talk or see each other for a decade. We met again at that thing Penny invited Gordon and I to a couple of months back and we’re friends again but that’s it, OK? Nothing more.”

“OK, OK,” Selene soothed, holding her hands up, knowing full well that there was more to it than that but prepared to let it lie for now. Well, almost. “It’s just funny how you’ve been pacing around like Gordon does when he’s waiting for Penny to arrive.” 

“I have not!”

“I respectfully disagree,” she laughed, unable to contain her amusement at Scott’s denial any longer. “Anyway, I thought you guys fell out?”

“We didn’t,” Scott countered, a little too quickly and forcefully to be believable.

“You did! You were in a right state when you called me after you left hers last time. Something about women never knowing what they fucking want if I remember correctly?”

“OK,” Scott’s shoulders slumped, ashamed to be reminded of his outburst to Selene after leaving Cat’s the last time they had seen each other. “We did fall out for a bit. But then she called me after Gordon’s accident and we talked and we’re friends again so please don’t mention it to her, Sel.”

“Of course I won't!” Selene gasped, genuinely shocked that he even thought he had to ask. Her loyalties were and would always be with her family, no matter what and there was nothing that would change that. “What do you take me for? All I want is for you to be happy, and if having Cat visit us makes you happy then I’m totally on board with that. I just wanted to make sure it’s really what you want.”

“It’s really what I want,” he confirmed with a smile that he hoped was reassuring enough for her. 

“Well that’s OK then,” Selene soothed, standing up and starting to head towards the kitchen “I’m going to make some coffee. You want a mug?”

“Yeah, sounds good to me,” Scott smiled, trying to at least stay on the couch until Selene was safely out of sight.

“Oh, I think I can see them in the distance,” Selene commented innocently on her way past the window, grinning as Scott lost his battle for self control and shot off the sofa to look as she disappeared down the stairs.

******  
“...and is Mr Scott treating you right, Miss?” 

“Better than I probably deserve, Parker,” Cat answered, ignoring the doubtful look and raised eyebrow that were directed her way in the mirror as she settled back into FAB1’s leather seat, en route to Tracy Island. “I mean, we had a bit of a fallout last time we saw each other but that was entirely my fault.”

“I’m sure I don’t believe that, Miss.”

“No, it was. I pushed him with something I shouldn’t have and we had a stupid fight, but we’ve worked things out now and we’re friends again.”

“Just friends, Miss?”

“Just friends, Parker,” Cat replied firmly, smiling at the memories of all the times both she and Penny had had this conversation with the protective butler over the years, knowing full well that he had never believed her then either. 

The pair settled into an amicable silence as the autopilot took them halfway around the globe, countries and continents shooting past underneath them until there was nothing but water as far as the eye could see. Letting the world go by outside her window, Cat leant her head back, closing her eyes and contemplating the week ahead and the events that had brought her here. 

It hadn’t been an easy time since Scott had stormed out of her flat leaving her completely blindsided; when she looked back on their interactions with the benefit of hindsight, his feelings seemed so obvious that a child could have picked up on them, and the realisation that she had got this so, so wrong made cringe with embarrassment. 

Unable to seek Penny’s guidance for fear of putting her in an uncomfortable position and unwilling to discuss it with her friends at work, she had let it fester for far longer than she should, losing track of the number of times she picked up her phone to contact him before putting it down again when she realised she had no idea of what to say. 

Then Gordon had been injured and everything else had paled into insignificance. She knew Scott would be hurting and, if previous experience had taught her anything, that he would likely end up doing something stupid as a result, so she'd shovedher embarrassment aside and reached out. 

At first their conversation had been clipped and to the point, focussed solely on Gordon and his recovery, but, as the days wore on, they had begun to relax with each other again and apologies were made from both sides. 

With the realisation that there may be a potential to rescue his dad, Scott had taken on a whole new raft of stress but had remained adamant that she should still visit him, despite all that had happened. And so here she was. She had no idea what to expect of either the week or the rest of the family but she was determined to make the best of it. After all, it wasn’t every week that she was invited to the home of the Thunderbirds. 

“... there it is, Miss Catriona. Tracy Island,” Parker announced, cutting into her thoughts as he sat forward to take back the controls and prepare for landing.

Cat sat forward, craning her neck to see her home for the week. At first, it looked just like a rocky outcrop peeking out of the vast ocean but as they got closer she could see the sun glinting off a glass structure perched high on the cliffs and the splash of blue that she guessed was a swimming pool. A beach came into view next, along with the lush green of trees and shrubs covering the lower levels of the rocky terrain.

“Woah,” she breathed, wondering what she had let herself in for. Scott had warned her that it was remote but she hadn’t quite imagined this. 

“Impressive, isn’t it?” Parker observed, carefully maintaining his neutral expression while watching her in the rear-view mirror for any sign of discomfort, more than happy to whisk her away before they even landed if he thought she was regretting her decision to come. 

“Just a little.” Cat was flabbergasted. In all her wildest dreams she still could never have come up with anything that even vaguely resembled the island ahead of her. “I’ve never seen anything like it. It’s amazing.”

“On the final approach now, Miss.” 

Parker expertly lined the car up with a tree lined runway and before Cat even felt the wheels touch the tarmac, they were down. If she had been surprised before, nothing prepared her for the experience of driving into the gaping cavern ahead of them and straight past the enormous hulk of Thunderbird 2, sitting waiting quietly for her next callout. 

Scott hopped from foot to foot, unable to stand still as he waited impatiently for the car to come to a halt, having been waiting at the hangar entrance since his guest had started her descent. His eyes had zeroed in on the woman in the back seat as soon as he could make her out before dashing back into the shade of the hangar just as they touched down, so as not to appear too keen.

He’d been picturing this moment from the second he'd woken up that morning and his nerves had only intensified as the day went on, but now that the time had come he was surprised to find that he was calm. The worry that had filled him about her not liking the island for some reason or that he would mess up again and ruin any chance of a friendship with her left him, and he watched quietly as the pink car made its way into the hangar and came to a halt.

Hurrying over, disappointment washed over him that she wasn’t even looking in his direction, her attention obviously still captured by the giant Thunderbird. 

Undeterred, he carried on, hoping to at least help her out of the car. However, the chauffeur got there first, nodding his greeting as he opened the back door and offered a hand to his passenger. 

“Holy shit, that is absolutely fucking massive,” Cat exclaimed, finding it very difficult to focus on either of the men in front of her as she stepped out of the car, craning her head over the vehicle to gawk at the giant Thunderbird.

“Well hello to you too,” Scott grinned, putting himself in between her and the machine and managing to divert her attention for a moment.

“Hiya,” she grinned, her heart skipping at the intense blue of his eyes as they met hers before she was distracted again by the green monolith behind him. “Sorry, but you have to admit it’s pretty impressive.”

“Well, hello, Mr Scott, sir,” interjected Parker. “I trust we find you all well?”

“Yes, thank you, Parker,” Scott replied absently, his attention focused on maneuvering himself around the butler in a bid to get Cat’s attention back from the machine that he was uncomfortably aware he was currently jealous of. 

“And how is Master Gordon now, sir?” Parker persisted, somehow positioning himself between Scott and Cat despite not making any obvious movement. 

“He’s a lot better now. Starting to get moving again a little,” Scott replied, shifting his focus to the butler as he accepted that Cat was a lost cause for now. 

“Oh that is good. Her Ladyship will be most pleased,” Parker said, his comment finally attracting Cat’s notice. 

Her eyes caught Scott’s and they shared a look and a half smile that conveyed just how aware they both were of how happy Penny would be to hear that news.

“Now that I have your attention,” Scott joked, “would you like to come up and meet everyone or would you like a tour of the island first?”

“I think a tour if that’s OK?” decided Cat, her heart fluttering dangerously at the thought of being alone with Scott again. “I’ve been sitting down a long time and it’d be nice to stretch the old legs.”

“Your wish is my command. Step this way,” Scott smiled, with an exaggerated bow and the offer of an arm that Cat accepted with a giggle. “Parker, would you be able to bring Cat’s bags up to her room please?”

Parker nodded in agreement, watching Cat and Scott heading for the lift. He had always had a particular fondness for Penny’s friend, having first met her as a shy but determined 11 year old with almost entirely absent parents. He’d lost track of the number of times he had comforted her over the years, filling the role her own father should have and it was perhaps this that made him feel particularly protective over her. 

“Mr Scott sir?” he called, waiting for Scott to retrace his steps, before lowering his voice and continuing. “Be gentle with Miss Catriona, sir. She’s been through a lot and I would hate for her to get hurt again.”

Scott smiled, pleased to see that Cat appeared to be under Parker’s protection as well as his own. “I will, Parker, don’t you worry. You have my word.”

With that, he turned back to his guest, taking her arm again and leading her into the lift that would take them to the living areas of the villa and out into the fresh air.

******  
“How was your last performance by the way?” Scott enquired. “With everything going on I don't think I ever asked.”

They had been walking for what felt like miles around the island, covering every path that Scott could think of to prolong the time he had Cat to himself. He knew that everyone else would want to meet her as soon as they were in the house and, while he was looking forward to introducing her to everyone, he really wanted to keep her all to himself for just a little longer. 

He couldn’t deny that he’d been worried about seeing Cat again after the way things had been left the last time. Being with her in person always felt different to messaging and calling each other and, going on what he could tell so far, this time seemed to be no different. 

The familiar spark of attraction was most certainly in attendance and he was very much enjoying feeling it whenever she caught his eyes and smiled at him, while still asking sure he was being respectful of her boundaries. The disaster of their last meeting was as fresh in his mind as hers, so he was determined to be himself, trying to balance his usual flirting with her desire for friendship.

“It’s really no problem,” she smiled, coming to a halt and taking his offer of a seat on a rock looking out over the ocean, “you had slightly better things to be thinking about. It went really well though. Penny and Gordon came to see it actually and they seemed to really enjoy it anyway.”

“Oh, did they now?” Scott grinned, a twinkle appearing in his eyes as he sat down on the rock next to her, very happy to resume their previously favourite pastime of gossiping.

“They sure did. And she’s still maintaining that there’s nothing going on there,” Cat revealed, grinning at the closeness that had suddenly sprung up between them. It hadn’t exactly been stilted since she had arrived but they had lost some of their easy manner around each other and she felt that Scott had, perhaps understandably, been very cautious in how he was acting so this return to old ways was a welcome relief to her.

“Sounds familiar. He’s denying everything too.”

“Hmm… interesting,” Cat said in an outrageous Russian accent, enunciating every syllable as she raised an eyebrow and stroked her chin as if it were a beard, pretending to contemplate this new information. “Ve-ery interesting.”

Their eyes met and they both managed to hold it together for a moment before dissolving into laughter, any lingering awkwardness between them disappearing in an instant. 

“God, I’ve missed you,” Scott admitted when he was able to speak, wiping his eyes and trying to pull himself together again. 

“I’ve missed you too,” Cat admitted, catching his eyes and feeling the familiar rush that their blue depths always sparked in her. “I’m sorry about last time. I shouldn’t have pushed you like that.”

“It’s OK, and I’m sorry too. I shouldn’t have reacted that way, it wasn’t fair of me. Are we friends again then?”

“Definitely,” Cat smiled, a small pang of loss in her chest taking her by surprise as she spoke. It wasn’t something she had even considered before, but she suddenly realised that there was a part of her, deep down, that hoped that he still felt the same way as he had a few weeks prior. “Seriously though, I’ve never seen Penny as scared and upset as when she told me about Gordon’s accident. Whatever’s going on there, it’s obvious that she really cares about him.”

“I can relate to that. I was pretty scared myself,” admitted Scott, his eyes giving away a lot more than he intended.

“I’m not surprised. It sounded awful. I can’t imagine what it must have been like to have to rescue your own brother. Is he doing OK now?”

“Yeah, he’s on the mend. Not completely mobile yet but getting there.”

“Well that’s good news at least,” Cat reflected. “And how’re you doing?”

“Me? I’m fine,” Scott stammered, automatically giving his standard answer for whenever anyone asked how he was before remembering who he was talking to. “I mean, it was scary when it happened but it turned out relatively OK in the end.” 

Cat said nothing, just fixed him with an unwavering gaze and raised an eyebrow. 

“What?” 

“I’m not sure I believe you,” she commented. “Based on what you and Penny told me at the time and the stuff Parker said on the way over here, it sounds like Gordon could have died and you’re just brushing it off. It’s not like you.”

“I know,” Scott slumped where he sat, running a hand through his hair and finally letting the weight of what had happened over the last few weeks show. “I’m not really OK with any of it to be honest. We’ve just got so much to sort out if we’re going to rescue Dad that I just can’t take the time to process it right now.”

“I totally understand that. If you ever want to talk to someone about it though, I’m your girl,” Cat met his eyes and smiled, shocked but unsurprised at the swirling mix of emotions that she could see in them. “Any time. I have zero experience of anything like what you’re doing, and I can’t really imagine what any of it must be like but I’m good at listening, remember?”

“I remember,” Scott said softly, holding her gaze and smiling. “You were always the one I went to when we were together and it would be nice to have that part back. I’ve got Selene to talk to now but it’ll be good to have someone who’s not on the island to get a bit of perspective from. Thank you.”

“Any time. I’m always here,” Cat smiled back at him, glad to see the emotions in his eyes calming as he straightened up again and regained his usual composure. 

Cat knew how privileged she was to have been allowed to witness him looking anything other than in complete control. Weakness was not something that Scott Tracy showed willingly or easily and the fact that he was still prepared to show it in front of her even after their argument made her heart swell a little. Despite her fears, it seemed that she hadn’t ruined their relationship irreparably. 

“Right, I think I’ve been hogging you for long enough. Time to introduce you to everyone,” Scott broke the moment, standing up and offering his hand, feeling the pleasant tingle spread through him as her skin touched his.

“Sounds good to me,” Cat grinned as they set out down the path towards the villa. “I’m glad we’ve had this chance to catch up though. After how we left things last time, I wanted to be able to speak to you properly before we were in the midst of everyone.”

“Yeah, I think it was a good idea too. I’m just glad you still wanted to come really - I was afraid you’d say no after what I said.” 

“If I’m honest, I did have to think about it,” Cat admitted, hating the way Scott stopped walking and seemed to sag slightly at her statement. 

Whichever way he looked at it, Scott was devastated to realise that his actions really could have cost him this week. He’d accepted that there was a likelihood of it as the weeks had passed without any contact from her but once they were on better terms and he’d felt it was the right time to make the offer again, those fears had largely been allayed. To discover that they could have come true was a blow he wasn’t expecting.

“Not because I didn't want to,” she continued quickly, desperate for him to understand and hopefully feel better. “Please don’t think that. I just didn’t want to risk hurting you so I wasn’t sure how sensible it was to start with. I’m really glad I did come, though, I think we’re going to be just fine.”

“Me too,” Scott smiled, reassured by her words and relieved that her reasoning didn’t appear to include that she felt uncomfortable because of his admission. “Before we get back to the house though, I need to tell you something.”

“Anything,” Cat assured him, wondering where on earth this might be going, given their previous conversation.

“Right, listen carefully because this is the most important piece of advice I’m going to give you this week.”

“OK… I’m all ears.” Cat’s interest was well and truly piqued by the cryptic manner in which Scott was speaking.

“Never, and I mean never eat Grandma’s cooking, OK? It could easily be described as biological warfare and it’s most definitely not fit for human consumption,” he explained earnestly, holding her eyes and willing her to understand, not wanting her to be a victim of food poisoning on her holiday.

“I understand,” Cat laughed, both relieved and disappointed that it wasn’t a revelation about something more personal. “If she offers something I’ll decline politely and find a snack later.”

“Good call. Shall we do this thing then?” Comfortable that she understood his warning and would take it seriously, Scott offered his arm and the pair continued down towards the house and dinner.

*****  
“Here we are, fresh from the takeaway,” Virgil announced, trooping into the kitchen with a box full of delicious smelling food in his arms, Alan trailing behind him similarly laden. 

“We thought we’d get something in seeing as it’s your first night here,” Scott explained with a smile, jumping into action and helping to unpack the containers of food onto the centre island in the kitchen, ready to be served and distributed onto the table.

“Sounds lovely. What’re we having?” Cat grinned, relieved to have been spared Grandma’s home cooking for at least one night of her stay.

“Indian. Scott gave us your order, I hope that’s OK?” Virgil checked, suddenly conscious that perhaps they should have waited to ask her directly and hoping that she wouldn’t be offended by Scott assuming that he knew what she’d want.

“Not a problem,” Cat smiled at him. “Scott knows I eat pretty much anything anyway, so he had a pretty easy task so I’m sure it’ll be fine.”

As Virgil turned back to help with the preparation, Cat felt a little lost in the midst of the family setting up for dinner, chatting and joking together. It was a world away from her quiet flat where most nights it was just her cooking and eating alone after rehearsals and she was a little unsure as to what she should be doing. Her instinct was to help, but not knowing where anything was meant that she worried she would be more of a hindrance. Equally, just sitting down and waiting at the table seemed rude and she didn’t want to give the impression that she was lazy or expecting to be waited on. 

Just as her overthinking was starting to get the better of her, Gordon came hobbling into the kitchen, taking his seat and motioning for her to come and sit with him while the others got everything ready. 

Cat gratefully accepted his offer and the pair chatted amicably until everyone else was at the table too. Scott took the seat on the other side of her, making her feel a lot more comfortable being sandwiched between the person who had invited her and the only other one she had spent any time with before.

“So, tell us about yourself, dear,” Grandma Tracy opened, as soon as the food was served and relative calm had descended upon the table. “Scott's told us nothing so I’m afraid we don’t really know anything about you.”

Scott’s heart sank, realising that it was his desire for privacy that had led to Cat’s questioning. He could almost feel the fear coming off her as he turned to give her a smile and a nod of reassurance, hoping that would be enough for her to forgive him for inadvertently putting her on the spot.

Catching his eyes, Cat was surprised to see that Scott looked worried. She couldn’t even begin to think what might be the cause, but she appreciated the smile anyway and returned it gratefully. Being in the presence of arguably the most impressive family in the world had made her feel rather small and insignificant and she found she was almost embarrassed to talk about herself in their presence. 

“There’s not much to tell really, Mrs Tracy,” she stammered, suddenly forgetting everything she’d ever done now that she had been put on the spot. “I come from Kent originally, I stay in London now and I dance with the Royal Ballet. That’s about it really.”

“Don’t sell yourself short,” Gordon interjected, beating Scott to it and earning a grateful look from his older brother. “You don’t just dance with the Royal Ballet, you’re like their superstar ballerina.”

“I wouldn’t go quite that far,” she deflected, a flush appearing at the bottom of her neck and radiating upwards as she felt everyone staring at her. “I dance the main roles but I’m not a superstar or anything.”

“So, if you’re a ballerina does that mean you can dance on your toes?” interjected Alan.

“It sure does,” she smiled at the youngest, grateful to have a question that was more about her profession than herself, knowing that she could easily talk about that all day. 

“That’s so cool. Doesn’t it hurt though?” he pressed, following the same line of logic that thousands before him had used, including his biggest brother when they had first met. 

Looking around the table at all the faces eagerly awaiting the answer made Cat realize that, for all their amazing talents and abilities, they were still exactly the same as everyone else, making them seem more human and approachable somehow. 

“Yep, it sure does,” she laughed, finally feeling at ease and wondering why she had been so in awe of them all just moments before. 

“Did you say you live in London?” Selene asked, realising that the evening could now easily turn into a question and answer session about ballet and end with them still not knowing anything about Cat.

“Yeah, I’ve got a flat in Highbury, not that I’m there much. I spend most of my time working,” Cat replied, to laughter from around the table.

“I think we all know that feeling,” chuckled Virgil, before motioning to Selene to continue as he reached across the table for another poppadum. 

“Aww, I’m in Camden. We should get together sometime and go out.”

“Yeah, that would be fun,” Cat grinned, warming to Selene instantly and happy to feel included so quickly. “We’ll get something sorted once I’m home and I know what my schedule is like.”

“Fun though that sounds,” John cut in, shooting Scott a look that was equal parts scared and impressed at the speed at which the girls had seemingly made friends, “maybe Cat could enlighten us on how she met our esteemed older brother, seeing as he’s been keeping very quiet about it?”

“It’s not a very exciting story I’m afraid,” she started, directing a glare at Gordon, daring him to contradict what she was about to say as he snorted in mirth beside her. “We met in a bar about 10 years ago, dated for a year after that and then split up when Scott was deployed and I moved to London.”

“We didn’t see each other again 'til Penny invited us both to the same function a couple of months ago and we’ve become good friends since then,” Scott continued, doing what he could to take the heat off his guest. “Seeing as Cat’s not got rehearsals for a few weeks I thought she might like to come and get some sun for a week so here she is,” he finished with a smile at Cat that, once again, made her heart flutter dangerously.

“Well, we’re all very glad to have you and I’m sure Scott here will make sure you have a lovely week.” Virgil grinned.

Cat smiled, looking round the table at the friendly faces, before fixing her gaze on Scott, sending his heart rate into orbit. “Yes, I think he will.”

All Scott could do was grin back. Nothing else existed in that moment apart from the woman beside him. He heard his grandma speaking and wrenched his attention back to the conversation, just in time to feel his blood run cold.

“And what about your family, dear? They must be very proud of you,” Grandma asked, blissfully unaware of Cat’s history. 

“I don’t know how they feel to be honest,” Cat shrugged, trying to be very matter of fact and keeping a braver face on it than she felt. “I’ve not seen my dad since he walked out on us when I was 5, and I’ve not spoken to my mum in nearly 6 years after she proved, yet again, that I’m at the bottom of her list of priorities unless she wants something. 

“It’s OK though,” she added, looking around the table to see the usual sympathetic expressions that formed on the faces of anyone present whenever she talked about her family and relieved to feel a squeeze of support on her arm from Scott beside her. “I’ve got good friends, that’s all I really need.” 

As she spoke, she turned to give Scott a dazzling smile that both melted his heart and made him feel 100 times worse than he already did about not warning everyone that family was a touchy subject for her. He had to admit that he was impressed at the way she’d handled it; she never shied away from giving an honest answer to a direct question and the fact that she could be simultaneously so vulnerable and so strong was a huge part of his attraction to her, whether she knew it or not. 

Realising that his hand was still on her arm, he hastily removed it, hoping that it hadn’t attracted too much attention from his brothers. It felt like he had been sitting there for an eternity, lost in her smile but in reality, he had to concede that it was likely to have been less than 30 seconds when she turned away at the sound of another voice beside her. 

“Right, I think we’ve maybe asked enough questions for now. Poor Cat hasn’t had a chance to eat yet and I’m guessing she might want to,” suggested Gordon, earning himself grateful smiles from both Cat and Scott for taking the focus away from the ballerina. “Does anyone want to share this last naan with me?”

With the rest of the table’s attention diverted by the task of dividing up the remaining food, Cat flopped back in her chair and stifled a yawn, suddenly realising just how tired she was, very grateful not to be the centre of attention any more.

“How’re you doing? You OK?” Scott whispered, leaning into her to afford them as much privacy as he could in case she wanted to make her escape, enjoying the fleeting scent of her hair as she flicked it out of the way over her shoulder. 

“Yeah, I’m fine,” she assured him, feeling the butterflies in her stomach awaken at his closeness and once again wondering if she was really supposed to feel like this for someone who was just a friend. “It’s just been a long day, that's all. It’s coming up for morning London time and I’ve been awake all night.”

“Oh God, so you have,” Scott exclaimed, pulling away suddenly as he berated himself for his thoughtlessness. “I’m so sorry, I should’ve realised. I knew Parker would take a rest before he headed back but because you’re staying I didn’t even think about you.” 

“It’s fine, really,” she tried to reassure him. “I’m used to crossing time zones to perform. Usually it’s an overnight flight, a couple of hours sleep then straight into rehearsals so this is already a million times better. I think I will go to bed after dinner though.”

“Of course. If you want to bail then just say the word and I’ll get you out of here.” 

“Like my knight in shining armour,” she joked, leaning back in toward him so as not to be overheard. “Let me finish and then I might take you up on that.”

“Your wish is my command,” Scott murmured, as he closed the gap between them further, their foreheads almost touching as his eyes betrayed more than he would ever admit aloud. 

Cat smiled her agreement, holding his gaze for just a second before looking away and going back to her dinner, her heart racing. Any doubts that she had about his continued feelings for her had evaporated in that moment; all she needed to work out now was whether she felt the same and, if she did, whether he was worth the risk of a second chance.


	7. Chapter 7

“So far, we’ve got Kayo in the lead, followed by Cat and then Alan, with one more jump remaining for everyone,” called Gordon from his place on the sun lounger, making the best of not being allowed in the pool by organising everyone else. 

“OK, so what order are we going in then, oh wise and not at all jealous ringmaster?” Cat called as she hauled herself out of the water, exchanging a glance with Kayo as they both burst out laughing at the pout that appeared on Gordon’s face. 

“Low blow,” he scowled, the slight smile curling up the edge of his mouth giving away his amusement. “I’ll get you for that when I’m better.” 

“I’m sure you will,” Cat conceded, “but I also fully intend to enjoy this while I can. Now, tell us whose go it is or I’ll send Alan over to drip on you.”

Gordon held his hands up in mock surrender as Alan advanced on him. 

“You’re going in reverse order. Kayo first, then Cat and then Alan to finish. Previous distances will stand so Cat and Alan, you’ve got it all to play for or you’ll gift Kayo the win.”

“Let’s see you both beat this,” Kayo challenged, fixing her gaze on Cat and Alan in turn before taking a run up to the side of the pool and launching herself, beating her previous best by a few inches.

Letting out a whoop in celebration as she resurfaced, Kayo swam to the side and pulled herself up, sitting with her legs in the water and watching the rest of the proceedings as Cat prepared for her final attempt. 

“Good one, Kay,” shouted Alan, jumping up and down in what he claimed was a bid to stay warmed up for his big jump. 

“So, you call that a big jump into the pool, do you?” Cat taunted, a glint in her eye that had Gordon sitting forward on his seat to see what she had planned. “Let's see you do this.” 

Allowing herself a quick glance over at the dark-haired man who sat doing paperwork at a table he had moved out onto the poolside, Cat looked back and refocused, eyeing up the distance to the pool edge carefully. 

Starting her approach, she timed it perfectly and took off in a flawless grand jete just as her leading foot connected with the edge of the pool, propelling her high into the air and beating Kayo’s best jump by less than a foot. 

Splashing into the water was not a dignified way of landing by any stretch of the imagination but she’d missed jumping properly in the 3 days she had been on the island and she couldn’t resist taking the opportunity when it arose.

“That was so cool,” shouted Alan, continuing to bounce around as he prepared for his final jump.

“Not fair. Not all of us are ballerinas,” Kayo complained, as Cat swam over, pulling herself out of the pool next to her and sitting up on the edge.

“That is very true,” laughed Cat, watching Alan fling himself in with all the grace and elegance of a baby gazelle. “That was… quite something.”

“Gather round, gather round,” called Gordon, beckoning to everyone as they clambered out of the pool and converged around his lounger. “I declare that Cat is the lucky winner here today. Would you like to hear what you have won?”

“Um, OK?” said Cat, suddenly suspicious of the glint in Gordon’s eye. 

“Your prize is that you get to be the lucky one who fixes the pool loungers everytime Scott blows them halfway across the garden for the rest of the week,” Gordon laughed, unable to keep a straight face any longer. “Everytime he launches, I want to see you out here, dragging them back into position.” 

“Oh, wait a minute now, that wasn’t part of the discussion when we first started,” Cat complained with a grin, knowing full well that she was being wound up. 

“What? Do you not want your prize? You wound me,” Gordon cried, clutching his heart in mock agony.

“Oh, do shut up you big idiot,” Cat laughed, pretending to slap him around the back of the head. 

“Lovely though this is, some of us have work to be doing,” Kayo cut through the good natured bickering, heading away to grab a towel from her lounger. 

“Where are you off to? I didn’t hear the alarm?” called Alan.

“Not that it’s any of your business, but I’m helping Rigby with something,” she replied smoothly, nodding a hello to Scott as she passed by and disappearing into the house. 

Cat turned as Kayo was leaving and found that her attention was instantly caught again by Scott. Since the first night she had been on the island, she had been questioning her decision for them to remain as friends and she was finding it harder and harder to deny her attraction to him. He drew her to him, regardless of what else was going on around her, and she was finding that she was powerless to resist. 

“You have gotta come back when I can swim again. I’ll take you on and show you how it should be done,” challenged Gordon, bringing her attention back to where she had presumably been standing staring at his eldest brother for longer than was probably decent. 

“Oh, will you now?” Cat returned, choosing to ignore the telltale flush of embarrassment that crept up her neck. “Well, we’ll just need to see if your big brother invites me back, won’t we?”

“Screw him, I’m inviting you back. There is no way I’m letting you have bragging rights over anything to do with the pool.”

“OK, you’re on,” Cat shook Gordon’s hand amid groans from Alan. “But there is something you should know.”

“What’s that?”

“I hadn’t actually considered that there were bragging rights involved here...” Cat grinned, reaching for her towel and settling herself down again on her lounger to the dual sounds of Gordon’s groan and Alan’s laugh.

*****  
“Should I be worried about that, do you think?” Scott asked Selene, who happened to be passing by on her way out to the pool as Cat and Gordon shook hands.

“Almost certainly,” she nodded. “You know how competitive Gordon is and from what I’ve seen so far, Cat’s no different so I’d say it would definitely be classed as ‘not a good thing’.” 

“I think you’re probably right there,” he mused, but Selene was gone, already walking around the pool and sitting down with the others. 

He’d been following the competition more closely than he probably should have, given the mountain of paperwork in front of him. He couldn’t help it though, he could barely take his eyes off Cat at the best of times but when she was wearing a cobalt blue bikini that showed off her impressive abs and toned legs, there was no chance he was going to be able to ignore her and focus. 

Over the few days that Cat had been on the island, Scott had started to sense a change in her and he wasn’t blind to the glances that she had been stealing of him that morning, even if he had been careful not to be caught staring at her too obviously in return. On the occasions that their eyes did meet, there was a quality in the way she looked at him that reminded him of 10 years before, making his heart sing with hope for the first time. 

She had also started to flirt with him again, subtle and tentative at first but definitely there. The first time she had casually trailed a hand across his shoulders as she walked behind the chair he was sitting in, he had stiffened in surprise, wondering if it meant anything, but the more little touches there were, the more he allowed himself to believe that perhaps it did and the happier he became. 

Giving it up as a bad job and vowing to come back to it later, Scott abandoned his work, standing and making his way around the pool. Seeing Cat sitting up on her lounger with her legs crossed, watching in amusement as Alan tried and failed to recreate the length of her jump, he headed for her, his heart rate betraying his outward calm. 

“Excuse me, Miss, is this seat taken?” he asked with a grin. 

“It is not, my good sir,” she giggled, her breath catching as he sat next to her. “What brings you over here? I thought you had work to do? Not that I’m complaining,” she added quickly, flashing him a smile that sent a shockwave through him.

“I did. But there’s a much better view here,” he grinned, pulling his t-shirt off and lying back on the lounger.

“I’d second that,” she agreed, unable to stop her eyes from travelling down his chest and stomach, following the enticing line of hair that led down from his belly button into his waistband before she realised what she was doing and dragged them back up to meet his again, feeling rather flustered. 

Another yell from Alan as he took off and hit the water with a splash made them look round to see what had happened and by the time their eyes met again, the moment had passed. 

On a lounger further down the pool, Selene raised an eyebrow at them as she put her sunglasses back on and lay down, exchanging a look with Gordon as she did so, both well aware of what was going on, regardless of how well Cat and Scott thought they were keeping it hidden.

As she lay on the lounger, feeling the hot sun on her skin, Cat’s mind was whirling with the events of the previous few days. Nobody before Scott had ever made her feel so vulnerable while also protecting and supporting her so completely and she’d spent the last decade of her life trying, and failing, to find someone else who could do the same. Every failure hurt her more, proving again and again just how special their relationship had been, and the walls she had built up around herself to protect from the heartache of that knowledge were thick.

Just as she had made her peace with the fact that she was unlikely to experience anything like it again, Scott had come strolling back into her life and slowly stripped down her defences one by one until she was almost powerless to resist him. She’d felt on edge since then, torn between finally accepting what her heart truly wanted and what she still felt was for the best in order to protect herself. But it was getting harder and harder to resist. Her heart was screaming at her to give in, but something in her head wasn’t ready yet. 

She'd found the thoughts were becoming suffocating and, needing to move in order to clear her head, she jumped up, her sudden movement startling the others as she dived into the pool, the motion and the cool of the water calming her. 

Scott reacted as soon as she dived in, sitting up and observing her closely, knowing that she didn’t move that suddenly unless something was wrong. Watching her reminded him of all the times he’d found Gordon seeking refuge in the pool and he kept a close eye on her as she cut through the water, relieved to see her pace slow as she seemed to calm.

He was still watching when she finally came to rest at the side of the pool and looked over to him, smiling when their eyes met and once again sending his heart rate into orbit. Somehow resisting his urge to run to her and scoop her up, he instead contented himself with sending her a questioning look to which she replied with a small nod and another smile before resuming her lengths of the pool, this time at her more sedate pace.

“You’re going to have to tell her you know,” observed Selene, making him jump as she seemed to materialise behind him, taking in the object of his gaze.

“I already have and she doesn’t feel the same way,” Scott sighed. “She’d have said something by now if she did.”

“Really? I wouldn’t be so sure of that if I were you,” she replied, already turning to walk away, leaving Scott with more questions than answers.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter written in conjunction with the amazing WillowDragonCat who was also gracious enough to let me take on the lovely Selene.

The house seemed to vibrate as Cat arrived in the lounge, Thunderbird One streaking past into the sky just as the low rumble of Two’s engines signalled the simultaneous departure of the green behemoth. With Gordon busy doing his physio with Grandma and Kayo already away, that left just one other occupant of the island, who currently seemed engrossed in her work, oblivious to everything else. 

Cat lingered at the entrance, watching the crafts disappear into tiny specks in the distance as she held back from disturbing Selene. The idea of speaking to anyone about the questions and doubts in her head terrified her but she at least had enough self-awareness to know that she had to get an outside perspective on them before she risked doing anything that could hurt either Scott or herself. 

There was something about the young woman in front of her that invited her confidence, even if she wasn’t necessarily aware of it. From what she’d seen over the past few days, she was open and forthright and instinct told Cat that she was the one that she needed to speak to right now. The fact that they were now alone and unlikely to be disturbed was just good fortune.

“Selene? Can I ask you something?” she asked tentatively, not moving from her position, wanting to keep an escape route available in case it was needed. “What’s it really like living here and being involved in all of this?”

Selene didn't look up from the mound of paperwork, lists and notebooks that surrounded her, things she had to bring with her from her home office every time she needed to work. "Hell, it's utter hell."

A choked noise from the doorway made her glance up. "Oh, sorry, you didn't mean this," she gestured to the mess on her lap, "did you? You meant this," she waved a hand indicating the villa around them. She paused for a second to think. "It's different, you know? But not a bad kind of different. But then I've been dealing with these idiots for two years so I think I'm pretty much immune to everything now." 

“It’s certainly different, that’s for sure,” Cat laughed, relieved that her companion seemed receptive to a conversation, crossing the room and flopping down on the sofa as she watched the icons tracking the ‘birds across the Pacific. “It’s not like anything I’ve ever experienced before. I just… I don’t know if I could ever get used to it.”

"Oh, believe me, you could. It's not something you think about or really get a choice with, you just kinda get sucked in.” Selene gathered up all her mess and piled it up on the table beside her, although there was little care taken to making it neat. “I'll let you into a secret, I'd never even heard of them before I met John, I just googled for help and my phone put me through to this silky voiced god that plucked me out of a tree. So I guess, even though it was all wildly different to what I was used to, it was also pretty normal, because it was normal for them. Just like with any other family they have their rituals and in things that they do and meeting them was a lot easier than my ex's family, I have to say." She didn’t even want to think about what her life would be like if she hadn't met John, although it probably wouldn't have continued much longer as she would have died falling head first out of that tree.

“Yeah, they’ve made everything really easy for me too this week, that’s for sure. I guess I’m just finding it weird getting to know Scott all over again,” Cat sighed, trying to find the words to explain how she was feeling. “When I first knew him, he was this young captain in the air force and, yeah, he had all the responsibilities that went with that, but this is something else altogether. I don’t know how any of them do it. And he’s changed so much, it’s like meeting someone completely new but who looks just like someone you used to know,” she paused, sitting forward and dropping her head into her hands, rubbing her face as she sighed and looked back up. “I’m babbling now I suspect, I’m just really confused.”

"It's totally understandable though, I'm sure you've changed too.” Selene had been waiting for this conversation, or at least a chance to talk to Cat in private. From what she had seen of the woman she thought she was lovely, but she was finding it hard to open up to her completely. Scott was her priority, not making his friend feel better and, although Selene respected the heck out of her for having the guts to actually talk to her, she wasn’t going to take it easy. She was going to be completely honest and to the point as she always was. “If I can be honest with you, personally I think you're thinking of this the wrong way."

“You’re right about that,” Cat mused, sitting back and making herself more comfortable as she settled in for the conversation, “I've definitely changed and grown since then and from what I've seen since we met again, so has he. But how do you think I should be looking at it?” she asked, keen to see if a change in perspective might be the key to understanding her reluctance to let Scott into her life fully again.

"Don't think of it as noticing everything about him that's changed, think of it as discovering new things about him.” Selene turned in her seat to face the other woman, leaning back against the couch. “Admit it, we're girls, we love that first flush of 'woah, he's hot' but then you get to spend time with them, getting to know everything about them, learning what makes them tick, learning how they like their coffee and what makes them smile. With Scott you get to experience that giddy rush of feelings and hormones all over again. And don't you dare tell me you aren't, because it's written all over both of your faces. I see that look in the mirror, I know that look, I wear that look."

Cat smiled guiltily, feeling like a teenager being caught doing something she shouldn't by her teacher, before dropping her head and sighing. “I know. It feels amazing but I just don’t know if I can do it. I don’t want to hurt him by saying I want to and then changing my mind if it’s too hard. I saw how scared Penny was after Gordon was hurt, and she could be here to see him. I’m so far away and I can’t just leave my job any time I need to. How do you manage when they’re on rescues? Do you get scared for them?” Cat asked, desperate to know that she wasn’t alone in having felt alone and terrified whenever she knew Scott was on a rescue, well aware that now she knew them all, her worries would be increased fivefold.

"Of course I do, I wouldn't be human if I didn't. They’re my family, I love each and every one of them with all of my heart, not just John. You don't take on just one Tracy, they are a package deal. But let me ask you this, have you ever done the long distance relationship thing before? Because I did when I was younger, and yeah, it kinda sucks, but this is no different, if you want it you make it work. I had to travel on a train for two hours to get to see him, I had studying I couldn't get out of, I had work I couldn't just drop without getting fired and so did he. But that's the same for everyone. You could be walking down the street and get hit by a bus, accidents happen and you'd be just as far away or just as stuck with someone else. They’re the ones with the fancy flying machines, they can come to us. I live in London too and we make it work, two hours in a Thunderbird, four hours in my car, or half an hour in a bean can on a string and here I am. You make it work if it's important to you and if you want it to work." She felt her phone buzz against her butt but she ignored it, it wouldn’t be anyone important, if it was John or one of the family they would use the comms, anyone or anything else could wait. The woman in front of her was obviously dealing with some shit, going through some kind of crisis and Selene would do everything she could to help. She could feel the indecision and worry rolling off Cat in waves and, when she squinted, Selene could see that her aura was pulled in tight to her body, a clear sign that she was exercising a lot of self control, trying to hide her emotions behind tight mental walls.

“I think the distance is half the problem, to be honest. Scott and I were great for a year when we were together before, but then we had to do the long distance thing after he deployed and I moved to London and he broke up with me after a couple of weeks. Circumstances were very different then, but it absolutely broke me and I guess I’m scared of getting hurt again if it gets tough and history repeats itself,” Cat explained, trying to give Selene a bit more context to her fears and prove that she wasn’t completely irrational and mad, but somehow almost hoping that she was as that would make her life a lot easier. “Since then, I’ve avoided anything long distance. I’m mostly working so I don’t have a lot of time to spare and with the added travel, I just think it would be impossible, although...” she tailed off, working through her thoughts and allowing the counter argument to form before Selene could beat her to it, “I guess Scott’s been over a couple of times to see me now, so maybe I’m jumping to conclusions there. I think I’m probably making it more complicated than it really is. I don’t want either of us to get hurt again, that’s what it really comes down to, but I know no relationship comes without risk. It’s just a case of working out if the risk is worth it.”

Selene listened carefully, sipping on her coffee and staring into its depths like it was a crystal ball, debating how wise it would be for her to actually say what was on her mind. Meh, fuck it, she thought with a mental shrug, go big or go home. She believed in being honest, even if people didn’t want to hear it. She wouldn't be deliberately mean, but she wasn’t about to pussy foot around. Cat seemed like a lovely person, but she was still very much a stranger to her and in that respect Scott was the only one she cared about. 

"Scott's my best friend but I know he can be a complete dickhead some days, he's far too impetuous, he's constantly thinking he's doing the best for someone without asking them if it's what they want," she paused when she saw Cat nod, indicating that she knew all about that one," but he does it because he's one of the most honourable men I've ever met. And I don't want him getting hurt." Selene picked up a pen to fiddle with, clicking the lid on and off , distracting herself as she chose her next words as carefully as possible. 

"Here's the thing, and I'm gonna level with you, I know he's made decisions for you in the past, I know he broke up with you, but he probably thought it was the best even if he was a misguided jackass. But I also know that that was probably what pissed you off the most, the fact that he didn't give you a chance to make up your own mind. Do you really want to do the same to him with this? Are you gonna play those petty games? Because if that's all he is to you, if you're just toying with him because he's a Tracy, you had better change your attitude right now and do the right thing, because you do not want to be looking over your shoulder every day in case I'm there." She sat back, put down the pen and picked up her coffee again, daring Cat to argue her statement, in fact, she badly wanted her to argue, she wanted to be proved wrong, if only for Scott’s sake. One eyebrow lifted in challenge, taunting her to talk. 

“That’s absolutely not what I’m doing,” Cat exclaimed, standing and stalking around the table as a surge of anger flared through her at Selene’s suggestion, spinning around to face her before she continued. “I genuinely couldn’t give a flying fuck who he is or what he does for a living. I adore that man. I always have. And I suspect I always will.”

Cat stopped and sat back down abruptly, her legs giving out and refusing to hold her any longer as she realised how obvious her true feelings for him were now that she had been pushed to admit them. Sensing that Selene was sitting quietly, waiting for her to continue, she looked up at her, digging deep and opening up fully to someone for the first time in years, knowing that if she didn’t, it would render this conversation pointless. 

“He just let me down so badly, that’s all, and I don’t know if it’s something I can get past. I’ve always had to fend for myself, right from when I was little. My dad left and my mum didn’t care about me so all I really had was my dance teacher until I got into ballet school and Penny and Parker sort of adopted me. Scott was the first person aside from them that I let close enough to me to see me for who I really was and he made me feel like I was worth something. So you’re right, the fact that I didn’t get to make my own mind up about what happened really hurt me because he knew how I felt about being just cast aside like that. But don’t for a second think I’m toying with him or going to mess him about. That’s absolutely not why I’m here.” Cat paused, allowing the emotions stirred up by her answer to pass and taking a deep breath before continuing. “I don’t want to do the same thing to him as he did to me. That’s not fair. I didn’t like it and I always try to treat others how I’d like to be treated myself. I guess I need to speak to him really…”

Selene sat and watched as Cat talked, watched her aura, watched her for any sign of falsehood. She'd found that the quickest way to get the truth out of someone was through anger, that was when you forgot to pick your words carefully, you forgot to modify your tone or body language and you opened up fully to the emotions you had inside. Cat had reacted the same way Selene herself had reacted when Scott had given her his version of the question she'd just thrown at Cat. Now that she had a better understanding of how Cat's mind was working. Selene relaxed a little, although she didn't back off with the home truths she continued to toss her way. 

"Yeah, you do. You both need to talk, because right now you're both being idiots. I mean, I'm all for a little kinky fuckery now and then, pretend to be strangers, meet in a bar, up against a wall, chill, you do you boo, you're adults, who cares how you get your kicks. Or if this is all one elaborate and very long winded version of foreplay, good for you, just don't break his heart, he's had enough of that. He might look tough but he's a squishy teddy bear under those flight blues and I won't have him hurt because you two can't get your shit together. So, while we're alone, just be fucking honest with me, ask all the questions you need to ask to go into this with your eyes open and make sure he knows where he stands." She opened a tube of cookies and offered Cat one, ignoring the shocked look on the other woman's face. "Cookie?"

“Thanks.” Cat moved back to sit next to Selene and accepted the cookie gratefully, feeling shaky as the adrenaline from her anger started to wear off. “Trust me, I have no intention of hurting him. Ever. I don’t go after people just for the sake of it, and especially not someone I care about as much as him. He deserves the best and I’m so glad he’s got someone as fierce as you looking out for him. I get the impression that he needs it sometimes. I need to speak to him first and make sure we’re on the same page with everything, but if you’re still willing to answer questions after that, can I get back to you then?”

"Girl, I'm always willing to answer questions, hell I'm always willing to talk for any reason. You'll learn that about me," she sighed, dunking the cookie into her coffee and taking a quick bite before it got too soggy and broke off. "Honestly, I don't know how John puts up with me most days, he probably wishes he'd left me in that tree." 

“Actually, I do have one question for you just now, before the boys get there and it gets noisy in here again,” Cat asked, taking the opportunity to snuggle back into the sofa and make herself comfortable, glad that the intensity of their conversation seemed to have dropped. “What exactly were you doing in a tree?”

"Meeting the love of my life, what else do you do in a tree when you fall off your broom trying to avoid an owl? I’m a witch, nothing in my life is ever normal so I guess it stands to reason that I wouldn't meet him in the standard way, not that I ever would have otherwise, it’s not like he frequents bars and restaurants on the daily,” she sighed softly, aware that she probably had a slightly soppy smile on her face as she pictured her man, but she quickly shook it off, this wasn’t about them. “Don't hold out on me now. I know there's more to the story of you two than just ‘we met in a bar’."

“Fair enough. That’s as good a reason as any for being there,” Cat nodded in agreement with a slight shrug as she finished off the last of her cookie, before a smile crept onto her face at the thought of her first time meeting Scott. “You’re right about there being more to the story than that, but don’t let this go beyond us. Gordon knows and Scott’s managed to keep him quiet about it so far but I don’t want it to get out on my watch. We did meet in a bar, that much is true. What I didn’t tell everyone was that Scott was wearing a very fetching pair of patent leather, red thigh high boots at the time,” Cat paused as Selene laughed so hard coffee came out her nose, handing her a napkin to clear up the worst of the mess. “It was a dare from some of the guys in the squadron apparently, but he definitely looked very fetching in them. He’s got the legs for it, for sure.”

"Oh lawd, those boots, I think I saw them in a cupboard once but I assumed they were Grandma's from back in the day. Once the others hear about this, and no it won't be from me, but they will find out, believe me they always do, John won't have the weirdest story to tell. Marrying a witch will be tame in comparison to tottering around in go-go boots."

“Oh I don’t doubt for a second that it’ll get out,” Cat laughed, reaching for another cookie. “Gordon’s silence has been bought for now but if what Penny’s told me about him is true, he won’t be able to keep it to himself indefinitely. I’m amazed it’s stayed between them for this long if I'm honest.”

"So am I. Not much stays secret in this house, least of all with Gordon around, but really, he's not the one you need to watch out for."

“I’m guessing that would be John?” Cat ventured. “Scott warned me before I got here not to do anything horribly embarrassing because it would inevitably be seen by him and I’d never be allowed to forget it.”

"It's most definitely John, it's his job after all. He just likes to make sure that everyone is looked after and can get help whenever they need it. Obviously the Island is cloaked and they need to know when anyone comes too close, so really it's not surprising that he sees things he probably wishes he doesn't. Though I'll let you into a secret, if you see me lightly stroking my boobs, or playing with my hair, I'm not being weird, I'm just trying to annoy him because he's not here and he sent me a hand selfie earlier in the day."

“Well that’s definitely good to know, and at least I’ll not look at you as if you’re completely insane next time I see you doing it,” Cat chuckled as she turned her attention to the icons in front of her. “Looks like the boys are nearly there now. Thanks for this, Selene. You’ve really helped me this afternoon and it really means a lot. I’ll talk to Scott as soon as I can so we can sort this out before either of us get hurt, I promise.”

"No worries, that's what I'm here for. I'm the ground crew. I know what it's like to sit here and worry about them. When I first met John I didn't even realise just how much they did for the world or how much of a risk they took on a daily basis, and I sat at home and watched for months while I was getting to know him, just watching and waiting every time something was shown on the news, I was just dreading hearing something go wrong. And then something did but it was his own dumbass stubbornness, and I realised I wasn't actually a part of their lives. I could have stayed that way, on the outskirts, but I chose to dive in, because I loved him, even then, even when I hadn't admitted it to myself let alone said it out loud. It was harder to not know than it was to have it in my face, if you get what I mean. So, in future, if you need to know anything, or if you get worried, text me, call me, whatever, day or night. I'll be here. Just as long as you have nothing to hide, because Kayo is a bit of a stickler for making sure you pass all her security checks. I had to threaten Gordon over social media to get here so you're already doing better than I was." Selene finished her coffee, stretching over to place her mug on the table.

“Yeah, I’ve been sitting worrying about them all for months now. It’s been so hard seeing some disaster on the news and knowing they’ll be there but having no way of finding out if they’re OK til they were home and I got a message from Scott. So thank you. Again. I may well take you up on that offer in the future, especially if things go the way I hope they do. Knowing that there’s someone else who’s gone through the same sort of thing when they came into the family is a weird sort of comfort so I’d be very happy if we could be friends?” Cat smiled tentatively as she looked at the other woman, a slight tremor in her hands as she clasped them together tightly the only outward sign of her discomfort and nerves. 

"I'm friends with everyone, it's both a blessing and a curse and I’m pretty sure John hates that particular gift of mine. I'm the type of person that can start chatting to anyone anywhere and he is the type to just want to hide or possibly fade into a wall. But in this case, I think it's a good thing."

“Me too,” Cat smiled, allowing herself to breathe again, unsure now as to why she thought the answer might be any different. “I don’t always make friends easily but when I do they’re stuck with me so I hope you’re prepared for that.”

"Meh, I think I can handle that, as long as you can handle the fact that I'm extremely blunt, Virgil said I'm more blunt than that boulder he took to the head last week, and I'm always honest. Oh, I'm also loud, opinionated, slightly mad and I can't sing, but otherwise I'm great. Top quality witch, would buy again."

“Sounds like an awesome sort of friend to me to me,” Cat laughed, finally relaxing enough to unclasp her hands, reaching up to try and release the tension that had built up in her shoulder. “I’ll take that on if you also don’t mind my bloody minded determination to finish everything I’ve ever started, chronic foot pain and propensity to stretch whenever I get a cramp, regardless of where we are and how many people are watching us. 

"You do that too? John walked into the kitchen at 2am to find me in the downward dog, or as he calls it 'ass up' and I don't think he quite knew what to do with me. I think he was caught between respecting my yoga moods enough to leave me alone and the possibility that things could get naked."

Cat snorted with laughter, Selene’s openness taking her by surprise somehow. “Well, it’s reassuring to know that all guys are the same. Scott’s eyes used to pop out his head at some of the stretches I used to do but he never knew what to say, bless him, so he’d just stand there with his mouth open. To be honest,” she added, leaning in slightly and lowering her voice conspiratorially despite them being the only two in the room, “I used to hear him coming and start stretching just to make him do it.”

Selene sniggered evilly. "Been there myself. I just so happened to have gotten out of the shower at that precise moment in time. I've never known John to get down to earth so quickly."

“Nice. I think Scott would have had a stroke if I’d done that. I might have to try it sometime though…” she tailed off, a flush creeping over her as she realised she was already speaking as if his response to the conversation they needed to have was a foregone conclusion.

"Well, I guess if he has a stroke it saves you a job."

“That’s one way of looking at it I guess… Not as fun, mind you,” Cat grinned, enjoying having someone to talk like this with. “Slightly different sort of stroke though,” she added, hedging her bets in case she’d totally misunderstood what Selene was getting at. 

"I'm sorry, you'll get used to me,” Selene laughed, having to pause for a second and catch her breath before she sobered enough to continue. “But, being serious for a minute, I know, hard to imagine with me, but just make sure Scott knows exactly what it is between you two, don't leave him guessing, he hates that. Just let him know where he stands. There's nothing wrong with friends with benefits, just as long as each friend knows the score."

“I’ll make sure we’re both on the same page, don’t you worry. I think we’ve had enough misunderstandings to last us a lifetime, I don’t want any more,” Cat replied earnestly. 

"Good, that's what I like to hear, I'd hate to have to get involved, I really can't be bothered and I don't have the time, I've got a million natal charts to do, six tarot readings and a rune making workshop to plan for." She glanced at the comm screen, checking the time and winced." Talking of readings, I gotta vanish for an hour, I've got a client call, but I'm drafting you in to help me cook dinner in two hours because they'll be hungry and after saving lives the least we can do is save them from Grandma's cooking."

“It’s a deal,” Cat agreed, leaning forward and picking up the book she’d discarded on the table earlier that morning. ”I think I’ll hang out here and listen in while I read this. Just come and give me a nudge when you need me and I’m all yours.”

“Good deal, I’ll see you in a bit.” She gathered up her scattered books and papers, departing with a cheery wave as she headed to John’s room. 

Cat flopped back on the sofa, her book almost instantly forgotten as her mind whirled with the implications that her true feelings could have and what that might mean for both her and Scott. Now all she had to do was find the right moment to talk to him.


	9. Chapter 9

“How’s everything looking up there, John?” Scott strode into the lounge, looking for Cat and pleased to see her already there, engrossed in conversation with Gordon. 

“All quiet for now. Nothing stopping you,” came the reply he was hoping for, although he chose to ignore the smirk that accompanied it. 

“Nothing stopping you from doing what?” Gordon asked, his eyes narrowing at his brother as Cat turned to look questioningly at him, sending the now familiar jolt through his stomach as her gaze met his. 

“From asking Cat if she’d like to come for a ride in One,” Scott grinned, already confident of the answer before he had even finished the question as he saw her eyes widen in surprise.

“Hell yeah I would,” Cat shrieked, leaping off the sofa, ready to go in an instant. 

“Then let's go,” he grinned, the sparkle in his eyes making her heart skip. “I think there’s a spare flight suit down in the hangar lockers that’ll fit you.”

“Or you could borrow one of mine. We’re almost exactly the same size so it’ll fit better than anything down there,” Kayo suggested, appearing from the kitchen with a cup of coffee and crossing the room towards them.

“Actually, that might be better if you’re sure, Kay?” Scott checked. 

“I wouldn’t have offered if I wasn’t,” she replied smoothly, before turning to Cat with a smile, taking her arm to guide her out of the room before the dancer had even fully caught up with what was going on. “Come with me. I’ll get you suited up and strapped in.”

Scott watched the two women depart, his mind now busy imagining the sight that would greet him in the hangar. He just hoped he could manage to keep it together without making another error in judgement that would, this time, see him having to fly Cat back to London earlier than planned. 

“Ooh, you’re gonna be in so much trouble when you see her in that suit, Scott,” grinned Gordon, unable to resist commenting on the hungry look that had appeared on his brother’s face as the two women left the room. 

Shooting him a withering look that could have melted ice, Scott turned abruptly, heading for his launch chute and the privacy it would offer him to calm his racing thoughts. The fact that Gordon had seen through him so completely worried him. He’d always prided himself on his ability to keep his personal life, well, personal, but having Cat on the island was making it harder and harder to maintain. He felt like he was in a goldfish bowl with all his family peering in as he tried to navigate the week, multiple members of the household having apparently picked up on his discomfort. 

Selene had already had words with him after his last rescue, telling him that he needed to talk to her but he really didn’t see what good that would do. Cat’s silence on the subject of developing their relationship into romantic territory after his outburst in London had told him all he needed to know. The fact that she had confirmed that she only wanted a friendship when they had talked after her arrival had cemented that. 

As familiar lights flashed by and his suit assembled itself around him, he felt himself regaining some control of his thoughts. That was until his traitorous brain chose that moment to helpfully remind him that she had been looking at him differently since she had spoken with Selene, a fact which his friend had vaguely alluded to when they had talked.

Settling himself into his seat to wait for Cat’s arrival, he decided on his course of action. Given the lack of any concrete evidence that things had changed, as well as his desire not to do anything else that could jeopardise their friendship, he would not push the subject. His lips would remain sealed. 

*****  
Cat and Kayo headed first to the laundry to grab a clean suit, and then directly to the small changing room in the hangar. Of all the occupants of the island, Kayo was the one Cat had spent the least amount of time with and she was having a hard time getting a sense of who she really was. Their conversation was limited to the essentials as Kayo sipped her coffee and the silence gave Cat time to focus her thoughts on what she was about to do.

She hadn’t allowed herself even the smallest hope that she would have the opportunity to go up in any of the Thunderbird crafts while she was visiting, so this was an unexpected but very welcome treat. She had adored aeroplanes since she was a child and, when she wasn’t practising she'd sit for hours at her bedroom window watching them descending toward the airport, wondering if she would ever be lucky enough to fly away on one. 

Years later, the feeling of being pushed back in her seat by the raw power of the engines as her plane took off for America on her first ever flight had cemented her love for all things airborne. The thought of going up in the rocket plane made her body vibrate with excitement as she stepped into the changing room, holding Kayo’s flight suit and desperately hoping that it fitted. 

“Scott’s not going to know what’s hit him when he sees you in that,” Kayo observed as Cat exited a few moments later, dressed and ready to go.

“I’m really surprised at how comfortable it is,” Cat remarked, looking away quickly, ignoring Kayo’s comment as best she could while resembling a tomato as they continued on their way into the hangar. “I thought it would be pretty stiff but it’s really not.”

“It’s good, isn’t it? I need to be able to move if I’m fighting so Brains developed a special material for it that’s flexible but really strong,” Kayo replied, allowing the change of subject but smiling as she saw that her observation had hit home, despite the lack of verbal acknowledgement. 

Like everyone else on the island, Kayo was desperate for Cat and Scott to figure out what they were doing once and for all. It had been 5 days of longing looks across the sun loungers and she was done with it. As head of security, she had run all the necessary checks on the dancer before she arrived and so she was perhaps more aware than most of the history between her and Scott, a fact that Cat was uncomfortably aware of as they walked. 

“That’s really cool. I could probably even dance in this, I think. It’s a bit warm but I guess that’s not such an issue for you guys,” Cat persisted, trying desperately to keep the conversation on anything other than the subject that occupied her thoughts constantly. 

“I’ve always found being too warm is always better for the muscles anyway,” observed Kayo, warming to the conversation.

“You know, I’d never actually thought about how much dancing and fighting had in common before,” Cat mused. “We always warm up before shows but there’s often a big gap between that and going on, so we have to find gear that keeps us warm but also fits around our costumes without being too bulky and pushing them out of shape. Something in material like this would be perfect”

“I’ll speak to Brains and see if there’s any extra material kicking around that you could have, if you like? You’d have to make it yourself but if that’s OK you’re welcome to it,” Kayo offered as they came into the body of the hangar, not waiting for an answer before continuing. “Anyway, here we are. It’s a bit of a climb I’m afraid.” 

Cat looked up in awe at the sleek body of the silver rocket plane in front of her, the cargo hatch doors were open and a mobile platform awaited her arrival, ready to lift her up into the body of the craft. 

A movement from above caught her eye and she looked up further, seeing a tiny figure in blue waving down at her from the pilot’s seat. The sight made her heart rate accelerate although whether it was the plane or the pilot that caused it was a question that she had no answer to. 

A small shove in her back moved her onto the platform and as it rose, Cat kept her eyes fixed on the man sitting waiting for her, keen not to show any sign of the nerves she felt as she watched his smile coming into focus the closer and closer she got. 

Once the platform had stopped moving, another gentle shove encouraged her to clamber into the jump seat. Content that she was properly strapped in, Kayo climbed back onto the platform, leaving with a quick “now go get him” and a flash of a smile before the doors swung shut, leaving Cat’s head spinning. 

“All set down there?” Scott called through the internal comms, peering down to where she sat beneath him. “The seats will rotate round when we level off so don’t worry - you’ll not be stuck down there for long.”

“Well, I guess it’s not the first time I’ve been beneath you,” Cat joked, only realising what she’d just said when Scott made a strange choking noise above her. 

She shifted uncomfortably, trying to slide lower in her seat, wishing for the ground to open up and swallow her whole. She’d been so busy trying to process Kayo’s parting comment that she’d said the first thing that came into her head, tripping her up after almost a week of ensuring that she didn’t make any hideously inappropriate comments in front of anyone, least of all Scott. 

“You’re not wrong there,” Scott managed, trying very hard not to laugh in a mixture of amusement and shock, his previous calm shattered at the reminder of their shared past. His mind raced once again, wondering if there was any meaning in her comment before resolving that it was something he would have to deal with another time. “Right, let's get this show on the road.”

As Thunderbird One vibrated quietly around her on its way up to the launch bay, Cat remained silent, her head bowed, too embarrassed to say anything else in case she made an even bigger fool of herself than she already had. 

She didn’t feel sorry for herself for long however. Registering the teal flight suit she was wearing, she was reminded that she was strapped into the world-famous Thunderbird One as it prepared to launch. Never in her wildest dreams had she expected this when she had agreed to visit the island and her stomach churned with a mixture of fear and excitement, pushing away the embarrassment and regret of moments ago.

“You ready?” Scott’s voice cut into her thoughts as the craft juddered to a halt in the launch bay.

“Ready as I’ll ever be,” she grinned up at him.

“Better hold on then, here we go.”

Whatever Cat’s response was, it was lost, drowned out by the sound of the engines igniting. One shot into the air, pushing her down into her seat, the change in light blinding her as it went from the dark of the hangar to the bright sunlight as the villa shot past the tiny bit of window that she could see. 

She was quite proud that she didn’t shriek until the craft had started to crest the top of its launch arc and levelled off, but the sensation of the speed combined with the seats changing position finally proved too much for her. 

A giant grin split Scott’s face as he heard her through the comms. The adrenaline surge from launching had never fully worn off for him despite the thousands of times he had done it, but combined with the knowledge that Cat was sitting mere feet behind him was enough to ensure that it reached a new high. 

Even in his air force days, he had never had a chance to fly her himself and, having missed out on his chance to bring her to the island, he was keen to show her not only what he could do but also what One was capable of. By any standards, she was no ordinary craft; she was sleek, powerful and fast and, as such, she fitted Scott perfectly. 

“Are you OK back there?” Scott called, unable to keep the laughter out of his voice. 

“This. Is. Awesome,” shrieked Cat in response, her knuckles white, adrenaline flying through her. 

“So, you want to go faster?” 

“Fuck yeah!” 

“Make sure you’re sitting back in your seat then. This is going to give you a shove. You ready?”

“Ready,” Cat confirmed, gripping the armrests and taking a deep breath.

“In that case, Turbo jets engaged.” Scott called, pushing on both throttle levers as One shot forward, shoving both pilot and passenger back into their seats as the G forces took hold. 

Ten minutes later, Scott set One down gently next to a secluded beach, somewhere in Western Australia. As soon as he was out of the pilot's seat, he ran to help Cat down the ramp, unable to avoid taking in her slender form in the skin-tight flight suit Kayo had lent her.

“Damn you look good,” he blurted out before his brain had fully engaged, his eyes flying up to meet hers in horror as he realised what he’d just said. 

“Well, thank you very much,” she grinned, holding his gaze as she sashayed down towards him, feeling her heart rate increase at the compliment. “You don’t look too bad yourself, and I’m very glad to see that I’m not the only one with no filter today. Now roll your tongue in and let’s go, Flyboy, it looks like we’ve got a sunset to watch.” 

Ducking past her to grab the blanket and small picnic he’d stashed in the locker before they left, Scott groaned inwardly. Gordon was right, he was in trouble. But a thought at the back of his mind niggled at him; he was now sure there was something different about how she was acting toward him since he got back from the rescue the day before. 

He knew that she’d had a heart to heart with Selene while he’d been gone and something seemed to have changed since then but he couldn’t put his finger on it. Nothing tangible had happened to make him believe it before, but Cat’s comment before launch combined with the way she had just looked at him made him wonder if that had simply been because they hadn’t been alone until now. There was a definite shift in the quality of their interactions; while they had playfully flirted with each other since she had arrived, there had never been any real intent there but something in her eyes when she looked at him now said different. 

It was dangerous. 

It had the potential to lead somewhere, and that thought both terrified and excited him. 

Squaring his shoulders, he headed back down to meet her, finding that she had already made her way onto the beach and found a spot to set up. She waved to him cheerily and, feeling like he was walking towards something bigger than a simple picnic on the sand, he hurried over and set up their blanket.

*****  
After eating their fill of the picnic while chatting about everything and nothing, Cat and Scott sat quietly together watching the colours dancing on the sea before them as they changed through every shade of red before starting to fade into darkness. The only sound to be heard was that of the tide lapping the shore as it made its way slowly up the beach.

Her mind drifting, Cat was sure that their silence was the most comfortable they had been since the night in her flat when she had been invited out to the island, just before everything had seemed to become so complicated the next day.

Now that she had accepted her growing feelings for Scott and had made her decision about what she wanted, she was sure that there ought to be alarm bells ringing everywhere at the thought of getting close to him again, but as she sat there trying to listen for them, the silence was deafening.

No matter how hard she tried, her thoughts kept slipping back to his reaction when she’d climbed out of One earlier. The way his eyes had raked over her as she walked had erased any doubt in her mind about his attraction to her and yet she was still struggling to summon the nerve to start the conversation she’d promised she’d have with him. 

“Scott?” she asked tentatively, as the last of the sun’s rays slipped below the horizon. “Can we talk?”

“Of course,” Scott turned to look at her, something in her voice giving him hope that this was the conversation that he had been waiting for. “Is everything OK?”

“It is,” Cat smiled. “Really, I just wanted to say thank you. I’m having an amazing time and your whole family are just wonderful.”

“You’re very welcome,” Scott replied, smiling to hide the disappointment coursing through him for allowing himself to think it could be anything more. “I’m very glad you like them. They’re very fond of you.”

“I’m very glad of that,” she replied, before taking a big breath and steeling herself to start what she so desperately needed to say. “I was talking to Selene yesterday and trying to figure some stuff out, and I have,” she reassured quickly, seeing concern written on Scott’s face, “but I need to talk to you about it.”

“OK…” he encouraged, sensing that she was struggling with nerves and hoping against hope that this was what he thought it was.

Cat looked out to the rapidly darkening sea to gather her thoughts, glad of the little light that was shining on their blanket making the moment seem intimate and somehow less scary against the vastness of their ocean backdrop. 

Now that the time had come, everything she had thought to say seemed stupid and full of worthless platitudes. Dropping her head into her hands, she took a shaky breath, before looking up at Scott in desperation. “I don’t even know where to start,” she admitted. “I’m so terrible at this.” 

Scott scooted himself over to her, wrapping an arm around her and pulling her into him, feeling her shaking as she leant her head against his chest. “Why not start off by just telling me what this is all about?” he coaxed, breaking down the issue into smaller parts in the hope that they would be easier for her to answer.

“It’s about us,” she mumbled into him, taking strength from his touch before sitting back up and holding his gaze, happy to feel his arm stay securely around her, offering her a lifeline. “Our relationship,” she clarified, with a little more confidence.

“OK, we can absolutely talk about that,” Scott soothed, never taking his eyes off hers as he felt his heart rate accelerating with every moment that passed. “Do you want something to change in it?”

Cat could only nod, nerves paralysing her once more. She kept her eyes fixed on his, pleading with him to understand, as she didn’t have a clue how to say the words that she now knew beyond any doubt that he wanted to hear. “I really do,” she started hesitantly. “I thought we could just be friends but… I don't think that’s what either of us wants.” 

She swallowed hard, her mouth dry with fear, the anticipation she felt rolling off him the only thing giving her the confidence to carry on. “If... If you still want what you said you did a few weeks ago, I want that too.”

“Are you sure?” Scott asked quietly, scared to move in case it woke him from this dream and took away the moment that he had longed for but never expected. 

"I’m sure,” Cat nodded, smiling for the first time as she lost herself in the sapphire depths of his eyes. “I’m so damn sure.”

Scott could feel a smile that matched hers creeping onto his lips as they both sat motionless, simply taking each other in and enjoying the sensation of this new and fragile thing that had just developed between them until he felt like he would burst with happiness. 

Her lips were so close, so enticing and yet he almost couldn’t bear to look away from her for long enough to meet them.

Almost.

Unable to resist any longer, he tightened his arm around her shoulders, closing the distance between them and tenderly finding her lips with his own, brushing them softly as he tried to imprint every second into his memory. They were firm and impossibly soft beneath his and her moan of pleasure as she reciprocated resonated through him.

Every one of his senses felt like they were heightened, the cool breeze a stark contrast between the heat that was building in him. He felt stripped bare, there was nothing apart from Cat. Where their kisses at Penny’s had been passionate and fiery, now they were sensual and slow and he was lost in them. He was in no hurry, everything had changed in the last 10 minutes and he was happy to let things develop at their own pace. She was worth waiting for. 

Cat gasped as Scott reached up, sliding his fingers into her hair and cradling the back of her head as he deepened their kiss. Gliding his tongue across the seam of her lips, he groaned as she granted him access. 

She could taste the coffee he had been drinking earlier but underneath it he was just Scott, and it made her heart ache to remember how familiar that taste had once been. 

Without breaking their kiss, Cat shifted slightly, sliding an arm around his back and pulling herself closer to him, their bodies pressed up against each other, clinging on for dear life. 

“Wow,” she breathed, eventually pulling back and meeting his eyes for a moment before cuddling into him, her head resting on his chest as she listened to his heart pounding, feeling it matching her own. 

“Tell me about it,” he grinned, feeling slightly shell shocked, fighting for composure as he wrapped his arms protectively around her and kissing the top of her head before resting his chin on it. 

They sat quietly like that, enjoying the closeness and letting the stillness of the night calm them, each lost in their own thoughts.

Despite her overwhelming happiness at how everything had turned out, Cat knew that there was more that they needed to discuss before she could fully relax, and she wasn’t prepared to get any further in until she was certain they understood each other.

“Scott?” she asked tentatively, breaking the silence as she sat up and shuffled round to face him. “I think, before we get too far in, we should work out how we’re actually going to manage this. Wanting to be together is all well and good but we didn’t exactly do very well when we were long distance last time, and it doesn't get much longer a distance than we have now.”

“This has got Selene written all over it,” Scott grumbled good naturedly, missing her warmth and the feeling of her body against his, “but it’s a very good point. We’re both busy people, so working out how we’re going to manage this so we both know what to expect is definitely a good plan.”

“Thank you,” Cat smiled gratefully at him. “The way I see it, so long as we keep communications open this time and make sure we see each other as often as we can then I think we’ll be OK.”

“I’d agree with that. Any time I’m off rota and you’re free, I’ll be there. It doesn’t take long in the jet so it’s perfectly doable. And all the vacation time you get, you can spend with me if you’d like?”

“All my holidays on a tropical island? Now you’re talking,” laughed Cat, snuggling back into him, revelling in the fact that she was able to do so now.

“And anytime I annoy you, or if you think I’m trying to make decisions for you, promise you’ll talk to me?” Scott asked, kissing her hair again and holding her tight. 

“Every time you annoy me…?” Cat laughed, looking back up at him and fixing him with a cheeky grin.

“OK, not every time,” Scott conceded, taking the chance to kiss her again softly, simply because he could, “but anytime there’s something big, please tell me?”

“Absolutely, and the same goes for me. Selene has my number now so I can be contacted if anything happens, but still message me when you’re home OK? It’s terrifying knowing you’re out there and I just want to know you’re safe as soon as I can,” Cat admitted, tightening her grip on him and burying her head in his chest.

“Of course, I promised that when we first met again, didn’t I and I’ve never missed one yet,” Scott soothed, reminded once again of just how much he was asking of her to be involved in his life. 

“I know you haven’t. It’s still just all very new and frightening, that’s all.”

“I get that, and we can go at whatever pace suits you, OK? There’s no hurry. I’m not going anywhere,” Scott reassured, giving her a little squeeze and a kiss on the head. 

“I appreciate that. It’s taken me a while to realise this is what I want, and it’s not like we’re starting from scratch, so I think I’d like to take things slowly,” Cat sat back up again, torn between the comfort and warmth of being held and the desire to look at him, but feeling that she could better make sure he understood how she felt that way. “We’ve got this weird mix of it being a new relationship but also having a lot of baggage between us. I think it’s just going to take a bit of time to unpack all of that and get things back to how they were before.”

“I totally understand that. I’m not going into this with any expectations of what it should be or how it should go,” Scott answered thoughtfully, pleased to have an opportunity to finally explain how he felt. “What we had before was so bloody special that I’ve spent 10 years trying to find something else like it and nothing has even come close. You can call me crazy but all I want is to be with you, because something is telling me that you’re the one that I’m supposed to be with. I know how much of a mistake I made and how much that hurt you, so it doesn’t matter to me how long it takes for you to feel comfortable again, I’ll be here beside you the whole way.”

As Scott talked, Cat could feel the tears starting to form in her eyes, the wild emotions of the day finally catching up with her as the incredible man beside her poured his heart out, telling her all the things she realised she had longed to hear since they'd met up again. Now that she had started listening to her heart instead of her head, she had absolutely no doubts that they were supposed to be together either. As he scooped her up in his strong arms and held her to him, she knew that they could finally put this period of misunderstanding behind them and move forward. 

Together.


End file.
